Six Glasgow primary schools land anti-racism project funding

The grant to Annette Street Primary School, Cranhill Primary School, King’s Park Primary School, Thornwood Primary School, Scotstoun and St Paul’s (Whiteinch) Primary School and Cadder Primary School, is part of the 2023/24 School Library Improvement Fund (SLIF).

The fund is organised by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) on behalf of the Scottish Government.

The funding, available to all state-run nurseries, primary schools and secondary schools with a library, prioritised applications which focused on supporting anti-racism and racial equality.

Jenny Gilruth, cabinet secretary for Education and Skills, said: "School libraries play a key role in our efforts to further boost literacy and continue improving attainment, but they are also places where positive values can be developed and celebrated.

"Projects supported by this funding will help young people to understand the harmful consequences of racism and ensure they feel empowered to challenge discrimination.

"Scotland’s school libraries are a vital resource, and all children should have access to the opportunities they provide."

Annette Street Primary School's Traditional Tales – Story Gathering with Roma Communities' project plans to improve the literacy skills of children from the Roma community.

Partnered with a local community organisation dedicated to Roma people, Romano Lav, the school will collect traditional tales familiar to Roma children and families.

The aim is to celebrate the oral storytelling tradition of Scottish and European traveller families by creating a multilingual book of traditional tales.

Cranhill Primary's Rise Up in Cranhill project will focus on enriching children's literacy experiences while expanding their knowledge of their community and nurturing understanding of the wider world.

Its partnership with Cranhill Development Trust will provide family learning, digital skills development, and target texts that represents its diverse community.

King’s Park Primary will run the Spiders @KPPS: Weaving Connections programme with Queen’s Park Football Club, to introduce children to diverse and inspiring authors and illustrators.

The project will support English language development and enhance literacy skills, focusing on English as an Additional Language families.

Working in collaboration with Scotland's National Centre for Languages’ (SCILT), Thornwood Primary School’s ‘Multilingual Marvels’ will highlight the benefits of intercultural competencies so that languages are widely recognised as a key skill for life and work.

Scotstoun Primary School and St Paul’s Primary School have joined forces to create a project aimed to enhance the library facilities in both schools, with a specific focus on promoting racial equality and anti-racism education.

Meanwhile, Cadder Primary School’s ‘Cadder Primary Community Library’ will provide a safe space for learning, individually, in supportive groups and in family groups.

The £200,000 2023/24 SLIF was distributed among 21 initiatives in 13 local authority areas of Scotland.

All the grants, going towards individual and collaborative projects, will take activities forward over the coming 12 months.

The Scottish Government's total contribution to SLIF is more than £1.7 million since its inception.

Pamela Tulloch, chief executive of SLIC, said: "School libraries play a key role in accelerating education and learning, and ensuring every young person has the chance to fulfil their full potential by enabling access to information and creative opportunities.

"We’re particularly proud to award support to those advocating for anti-racism and anti-discrimination through this year’s Fund, with many projects aiming to increase access and support for pupils who may experience barriers to learning, including those with Additional Support Needs (ASN) and pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL). 

"We look forward to seeing these initiatives come to life."

For more information on The School Library Improvement Fund, visit the website at tinyurl.com/4t3uwyzt.