A Tidworth school is giving a bundle of books to every one of its Year 7 pupils for Christmas this year.

The Wellington Academy is aiming to encourage a love of reading among children.

As research from the Literacy Trust shows that at least 400,000 children in the UK may not have the privilege of owning a book, staff are making sure every child in the year group has at least one bundle of books.

Teachers have been busy wrapping a collection of Roald Dahl classics along with Marcus Rashford’s recently published book ‘You Are a Champion’, which will be given to all 200 children in Year 7 at the end of this term.

Rob Wood, Deputy Headteacher at The Wellington Academy, which is part of the Royal Wootton Bassett Academy Trust, said: “The idea behind this initiative is quite simply to give the gift of reading to our students this Christmas.

"The benefits of reading for enjoyment are well recognised and we want all our students to have that opportunity. No child should be denied the chance to own a book.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has meant that some children have had less opportunities than they normally might to develop their reading skills and their love of reading, initiatives like this form part of the school’s literacy strategy that aims to ensure all students are confident and able readers.”

Offering books for Christmas is part of the academy’s drive to encourage reading skills across the school, with the recent opening of its revamped library and a range of reading mentorships across the school.

Get more Salisbury news

You can also like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date, as well as signing up for one of our newsletters.

If you want online news with fewer ads, unlimited access and reader rewards - plus a chance to support our local journalism - find out more about registering or a digital subscription.

Email newsdesk@salisburyjournal.co.uk with your comments, pictures, letters and news stories.