PUPILS from a school in Knightswood are celebrating after being announced as winners of the First Minister’s Reading Challenge, despite the school year being disrupted by lockdown.

Bankhead Primary still submitted their challenge during the coronavirus pandemic, showcasing the hard work achieved by pupils and staff.

The school was announced as one of four winners of the Pupil Reading Journey for the primary seven’s hard work and will receive a trophy.

Dedicated youngsters had a great year discovering new books, visiting the library, and responding to books in their reading passports.

And when the school closed, pupils didn’t ditch the challenge, but instead created lockdown book review videos, showcasing a great passion for reading and remarkable confidence as they discussed their thoughts on the books.

Celine McKinlay, head teacher at Bankhead Primary, said: “We are immensely proud of all of our primary 7a and primary 7b children for enthusiastically rising to the First Minister’s Reading Challenge to read for enjoyment, especially in a world where children are pulled in many directions.

“The fact these children were motivated to continue to read and review their reading for other pupils during the lockdown demonstrates that they believe in the benefits of losing yourself in a book.

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“As a school, we always happily promote reading for pleasure in many different ways and our hope for all of our children who have participated in the challenge is that they are developing a life-long desire to read for fun.

“I would like to thank all of the staff and parents who have helped our children develop a deep love of reading, especially Mrs Napier, Miss Lindores and Mrs MacGregor, the staff of Knightswood Library and Scottish Book Trust.”

Now in its fourth year, the challenge encourages children to read for pleasure and develop a life-long love of books.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “It is great to see so many young people discover their own love of reading but also help to bring that passion and inspiration to their friends, families, schools and local communities.

“I want schools to sign up to the new challenge so that we can keep sharing the joy of reading for generations to come.”