The National Year of Reading

The National Year of Reading kicked off in style at Manchester Academy when all of our students celebrated the launch of the event by attaching labels detailing their favourite books to 2008 balloons, which were released on 12^th April 2008. 

Students and staff (especially Mrs August) were surprised and delighted to get replies from places as far afield as Sheffield and Cumbria!

With every month that followed students took part in nationwide reading activities, which challenged them to read as often as they could in as many different genres as possible.

To celebrate our year of reading we will finish as we begun, with the whole of the academy (students, Mrs August, caterers, teachers, caretakers, Mrs Nightingale, Mr Strickland, office staff and Mr Corbett) all taking 'time-out' to read together at the same time on 24^th April 2009.

There will be lots of celebrations and plenty of prizes too for those students who went the extra mile. This especially includes our EAL students, who under the guidance of the inspirational Miss Simonson and over 60 staff, have been following the 'Toe-by-Toe' reading programme at lunch times, three times a week, since September!

Well done to everybody - keep reading: it could change your life...