We ran the Reading Champions secondary school of the year competition for 2007/2008 at the end of the last academic year, but weren’t able to find a winner that reached the high standard which Debden Park Secondary School set in 2006. Therefore, we are running the secondary school competition again.

We are seeking to reward the Reading Champions secondary school which has most effectively developed their Reading Champions project during the academic year 2007/2008.

What are the prizes?
• £500 worth of reading materials for the winning secondary school, to be chosen by the pupils of the winning school
• a subscription to Learnnewsdesk from the Guardian (for spring and summer term 2009)
• A presentation ceremony at your school
• National recognition for the school’s achievements in involving boys and men in developing a whole-school reading culture.

All entries must be received by Friday 31 October 2008.

Download the entry form (Word)

Winning schools will be notified at the start of November and announced to the public mid-November.

Main competition page, including primary school winner of the year 2007/08 and case studies

Learnnewsdesk (www.learnnewsdesk.co.uk), the Guardian’s news service for schools, offers daily opportunities to bring the news in to the classroom and to engage learners.

Ideal for use with an interactive whiteboard, for whole-class activities and discussion – and perfect for small group and individual research opportunities – learnnewsdesk presents opportunities to explore the daily news and topical issues through speaking and listening, presentation, discussion, role play, drama and writing for purpose.

An anytime - anywhere resource, pupils and teachers can access learnnewsdesk at school and at home. Literacy support is provided to pupils of all abilities in a number of ways – most impressively, all news articles are fully podcasted, allowing for pupils to listen to, as well as read texts.

For full engagement (and AfL opportunities), interactive elements are central to the learnnewsdesk environment. A daily vote – on a current news item or topical issue – encourages speaking and listening in the classroom. The moderated forum allows pupils to add comment and opinion, whether they are at home or at school. The weekly news quiz sums up the news interactively. And the Be a Reporter facility allows pupils to send in their own researched news stories, both as text and as a podcast.