Review of Strategies to Address Gender Inequalities in Scottish ...

4.2 Early literacyLiteracy, or, more specifically, reading, was a major theme in the questionnaires returnedby local authorities. In order to look more closely at the impact within schools, 5 schoolsacross 3 local authorities were included in the case study phase of the project (1 nurseryand 4 primaries). In most instances, the emphasis was on improving boys’ reading,although the activities were intended to engender positive attitudes towards books andliteracy in general for both boys and girls.i. Background of the school(s) involvedTwo of the schools from one local authority were small, relatively remote, rural schoolswith 2-3 teachers, including the headteacher, which served a number of small villageswithin farming communities. One school was in an affluent area where the pupils hadstable, two-parent homes, while the second was more mixed in its catchment area,although without serious disadvantage or deprivation: this was confirmed by reference tothe Scottish Area Deprivation Index.The other 2 primary schools were slightly larger and, again, served more rural areas.Both catchment areas included both private and rented housing. The nursery school, in athird local authority, was situated in an affluent urban environment with significantnumbers of children from ethnic minority backgrounds.ii. Initial impetus and fundingIn almost all instances, the strategy had been developed in response to the ScottishExecutive’s Home Reading campaign, originally launched in 2002. The initiative – ReadTogether – had the key aim of encouraging more parents and carers to read to theirchildren 4 . There were several aspects to the initiative, including a leaflet and advertisingcampaign for parents, the appointment of reading champions to encourage parents, carersand children, a website, a Home Reading Coordinator and, most importantly for schools,a small grants scheme that provided them with additional resources to spend on materialsand activities.In launching the initiative, the then Scottish Education Minister, Cathy Jamieson,reported that most reading at home was undertaken by mothers, which gave theimpression that reading is something that women do rather than men. The Ministeremphasised the role of fathers and male role models in general and, more specifically,encouraged them to read with their sons. This, it was stated, would help to capture theimagination of boys. The Minister specifically suggested Harry Potter books or readingfootball programmes – reflecting the ‘boy-friendly’ fiction perspective.iii. The implementation of the strategySome authorities encouraged all schools to bid for resources and to develop ‘readingtogether’ initiatives involving parents, while in other authorities individual schools hadresponded independently. In the case study schools visited during the study, the grantreceived from SEED was spent on books for the pupils. Some schools used the fundingto expand their existing stocks of books, deliberately selecting ones that they thoughtwould appeal to boys, e.g. non-fiction and stories about football or adventure stories.They also bought books that would appeal to both boys and girls, such as those featuringfavourite television or film characters. In other schools, they used the funding to buy‘story sacks’ or ‘bags of books’. Each ‘sack’ contained a book, related games, additionalreading and sometimes a soft toy or props. The intention was to encourage parents andchildren to read together, to play the games and engage in various activities related to thebook.4 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2002/08/2031______________________________________________________________________________________Review of Strategies to 23 University of StrathclydeAddress Gender Inequalitiesand University of Glasgow