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26 March 2008
Tameside reading quiz
In Tameside’s highly popular key stage 2 primary school quiz, the public library
service visits schools to test the knowledge of Year 5s and promote reading and
libraries. The quiz has nearly doubled in size within three years.
“I can’t believe how much they knew. I didn’t know some of those!”
Year 5 teacher
“The quiz has inspired not just the team but the rest of the children to read more and
to visit the library more often”
Literacy Co-ordinator
The effects
The Tameside Children’s Book Festival School Quiz for Year 5s is a key date in the
autumn term diary for primary schools: 32 schools took part in the third quiz last year. The
quiz supports reading for pleasure and key stage 2 English (reading, speaking and listening)
and allows schools flexibility in choosing their teams. The public library service reports more
children in the quiz age group using libraries and taking part in activities, children reading
more widely and talking about books more.
The experience
Ruth Lomas, Young People’s Services Coordinator, Tameside Public Libraries
The Tameside Children’s Book Festival School Quiz has nearly doubled in size since we
started with 17 schools took part in 2005: we had 32 schools for the 2007 quiz. The idea
came from an example of best practice in the Enjoying Reading resource pack which
Tameside’s public and schools library services developed. We looked at staff time available,
how to make it fun and attractive to our schools to take part and how to use the quiz to
promote enjoying reading, reading more widely and library use and how to make it fun.
Headteachers, teachers and literacy co-ordinators from 17 Tameside primary schools joined
us to work out the content and the practicalities.
The quiz takes place just before autumn half term as part of Tameside’s Children’s Book
Festival. We visit each school that is taking part for the first round and ask a team of four
Year 5 pupils questions about stories, books and reading.