Authors inspire youngsters

A scheme to get youngsters reading with the help of childrens' authors has been so successful at the North Wales school which pioneered it that the Welsh Government is now urging the headteacher to spread the word.

The Patron for Reading Project has been developed at Ysgol Esgob Morgan in St Asaph - as Ian Lang reports.

A North Wales school is marking the success of its reading scheme with a visit from Education Minister Leighton Andrews.

Ysgol Esgob Morgan in St Asaph launched its Patron of Reading project last May in a bid to get more youngsters reading with the help of children's author Helena Pielichaty.

Headteacher Tim Redgrave says the scheme has been so successful they've had to buy extra books for the school library.

Mr Redgrave came up with the scheme after seeing how author JK Rowling inspired children to read, and wanted Ysgol Esgob Morgan to have its own visiting author.

Now Ms Pielichaty visits the school regularly to work with pupils. When she's not able to visit, she writes a poem on her blog for the children to read and discuss and then write their own poems.