Students and staff at Ramsey Grammar School are gearing up for a ’Read a Book’ challenge over the summer.

The school’s librarian, Jan Kneen, Ramsey Town Library, Bridge Bookshop and charity shops in the town are all supporting the scheme.

It builds on the highly successful Readathon earlier this year when the school undertook to read out loud in a non-stop relay of 16 hours to raise money for a charity which provides books for children on hospital wards.

Head of English Julie Owen said: ’As an English team, we are often asked by students and their families about independent learning approaches and how to support progress in reading.

’With this in mind, we have produced a recommended reading list for each key stage and we are setting up reading-based learning activities for the first couple of weeks of the new academic year based on these.

’Over the summer holidays, we are asking each student in current years seven (ages 11 and 12) , eight (12 and 13) and nine (13 and 14) to read a book from the recommended lists and to be prepared to work with this in September. Every student will be taking part.’

Bridge Bookshop has offered discount vouchers to pupils who want to buy their own copies of books to take part in the Summer of Reading. Volunteers in the town’s charity shops will help students look for titles which will suit them.

Jenn Nickson, who will be taking up the post of KS3 coordinator in English at RGS in September, put together the list of recommended books with the help of suggestions from colleagues and students themselves.

She said: ’I wanted there to be a variety of books that would engage students of all levels to make the next step up in their reading journey.

’Reading books takes students into magical worlds and inspires their own creative writing, whilst improving their vocabulary. The books are from a mix of genres and authors that should stretch and challenge our students as young readers.’