Three schools have received awards for their impressive achievements with the reading reward scheme Buster’s Book Club.

Representatives from the winning schools, from Medway and Dover, were invited to a certificate presentation ceremony staged by the KM Charity Team at Leeds Castle in Maidstone.

The award for Buster’s Book Club Ambassador of the Year went to Paul White, literacy leader for Kingfisher Primary in Chatham, while Barton Junior School in Dover won best adaptation of the club.

Another Chatham school, St Michael’s RC Primary, won the award for best continued performance.

Kingfisher Primary only joined Buster’s Book Club this year yet Mr White has succeeded in getting the whole school community involved in the scheme - with even kitchen, office, and caretaker staff taking part.

At Barton Juniors, participating pupils are celebrated and motivated via an online ‘reading hall of fame.’ And this is clearly working as class 3H were the Dover district winners for a Buster’s Book Club reading challenge staged in the spring. They were rewarded with vouchers for Planet Ice skating rink.

St Michael’s has been a member of Buster’s Book Club since 2015 and consistently achieves outstanding literacy statistics. In fact, its results are among the most impressive in the region.

The school is used to winning awards for its literacy endeavours – St Michael’s was a winner in the 2017 Kent Literacy Awards, with its reading cafe taking the district prize for most innovative reading area.

KM Charity Team chief executive Simon Dolby said: “We are delighted to honour these schools for their enthusiasm and creativity in delivering Buster’s Book Club.

“The scheme is a fantastic way to generate excitement about reading - with pupils actively encouraging each other to read as much as possible - and it’s wonderful to celebrate and share schools’ success stories.”

He added: “Kingfisher Primary, Barton Juniors, and St Michael’s are beacons of best practice and I hope their achievements will inspire other schools. I’d like to extend my congratulations to everyone involved with implementing the scheme – school staff, parents, and of course the pupils.”

Buster’s Book Club encourages children to read extra at home, with classes competing each week to be awarded the reading class of the week trophy. A monthly inter-school reading challenge awards winning classes tickets to leisure attractions or visits by storytellers.

Organisations supporting the scheme include Little Cheyne Court, Kent Community Foundation, Golding Vision (part of Golding Homes), Orbit, Three R’s Teacher Recruitment, Medway Council, Kent County Council, Specsavers, Hornby, and Wildwood.

Find out more, or join, at www.BustersBookClub.co.uk or contact Kathy Beel at kbeel@thekmgroup.co.uk