On Friday 18th November, children from Village Primary School took part in a fun-filled literacy event with author Michaela Morgan. The exciting activities and workshops used children’s love of football to motivate them to read.

At the event 90 children took part in a workshop with Michaela and discussed her books; Respect and Walter Tull’s Scrapbook. They also took part in a Q and A asking about her career as an author, her inspirations and future plans.

The club author day was run by the Premier League and the National Literacy Trust to celebrate the efforts of children who have taken part in the Premier League Primary Stars programme, which uses the power of football to inspire primary school children to read and write.

Michaela said: "So I think it's an excellent project that really captures the interests of children and engages new readers and encourages them to continue reading. Leaving them with a copy of the book that absolutely belongs to them, is a very important step, that sense of ownership will lead them to explore the book further.

"I'm really grateful that this project exists and I think it makes a difference to children's lives."

Derby County is one of over 100 Premier League and English Football League clubs taking part in Premier League Primary Stars. The programme includes Premier League Reading Stars, a reading intervention developed by the National Literacy Trust and the Premier League which has been proven to increase children’s reading levels by up to one year in just 10 weeks.

Jim Sells, Programme Manager at the National Literacy Trust, said: “We know from our research and decades of experience that reading for enjoyment improves children’s chances of success in school and in life. Tapping into their interests helps to build this love of reading, which is why we use the motivational power of football to get children, especially struggling readers, into reading. By bringing together local authors and football clubs, we are taking an important step towards inspiring a love of reading in children that will benefit them for a lifetime.”

For more information about Premier League Primary Stars and to sign-up, visit: www.plprimarystars.com