Reply to:
Claire Morley, Librarian
Communities, Economy and Transport
Libraries and Information Service
Tel:
Email:
Unit D, Ropemaker Park
Diplocks Way
Hailsham,
East Sussex
BN27 3GU
01273 336286
[email protected]
April 2017
Dear Head Teacher /Literacy Co-ordinator
I am writing to let you know the theme for this year’s Summer Reading Challenge and how
we would like to promote the Challenge to schools in 2017.
About the Challenge
The Reading Agency, along with the UK public library network, has organised the Summer
Reading Challenge since 1999. It is the UK’s biggest annual reading promotion for children
aged four to eleven. The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils
develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information, and an
overarching aim is for children to develop their love of literature through widespread reading
for enjoyment. Throughout the Summer Reading Challenge library staff, along with teenage
and adult volunteers, support children, helping them to discover new authors and explore a
wide range of different types of books, and so support these aims of the national curriculum.
Last year almost 9000 children in East Sussex signed up to the Challenge in libraries
throughout the county, and nearly 6000 finished. Every year the Challenge has a new theme
and this year we're delighted to announce that The Reading Agency 2017 Summer Reading
Challenge will be Animal Agents.
The Challenge will begin in libraries on Saturday 15th July and end on Saturday 9th
September.
To take part in the Challenge children need to read six stories of their choice that they have
borrowed from the library over the summer holidays. Children join the Challenge at their
local library and are given rewards for each book they read and a certificate and medal if
they manage to complete the Challenge. The Challenge is for all children, whatever their
reading ability. Children who are not reading independently can share their books with a
family member or friend, or they might prefer to listen to audio books. We have a range of
materials to enable children with additional needs to participate as well. You can find out
more about these by emailing [email protected] or by speaking to your
local library contact.
Promoting Animal Agents in schools
We recognise the importance of telling children in schools about the Summer Reading
Challenge and this year we will be providing an assembly pack for each school to use, with
lots of information about how the Challenge will be run in East Sussex. We will also be
carrying out some visits to schools prior to the start of the Challenge. If we do not visit your
school, in addition to the assembly pack we will be sending out, you can also find plenty of
resources on The Reading Agency Website which are free and easy to use.
You can find information about the Challenge at:
https://readingagency.org.uk/children/practitioners-guides/summer-reading-challengeresources-for-teachers.html (accessed 27/4/17)
This year, children who take part in Animal Agents will receive the following great prizes:
Sign up
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
Book 6
promotional sticker
collector’s folder and sticker set 1
sticker set 2
sticker set 3
sticker set 4
sticker set 5 and a door hanger
sticker set 6, wrist band, medal with lanyard and certificate
We will be offering the children the opportunity to receive their certificates in school and
hope you will be able to celebrate your pupils’ success by handing out the certificates in
celebration assemblies. So that every child has the chance to complete the Challenge, we
will send the certificates to your school in the week beginning 2nd October. If there are
children who were expecting a certificate but did not receive one, please let your local library
contact know. We will be happy to send certificates on to school if we have a record of the
child completing the Challenge.
We will contact you again by email in the summer term with information for your summer
newsletter and website, as well as a very short feedback form so that we can find out what
school staff think of the Summer Reading Challenge.
We look forward to welcoming your pupils into our libraries this summer. If you have any
questions please get in touch with your local library contact or me.
Yours sincerely
Claire Morley
Librarian