CHILDREN and teens in Oxfordshire got their creative juices flowing at two large-scale events yesterday aiming to promote a love of reading and literacy.

A carousel of poetry, plays and prizes at Oxford Brookes University marked the end of a two-year effort by schools to boost literacy skills in the classroom and beyond.

About 70 children from eight of the 20 schools signed up to the National Literacy Trust's Gaining Momentum programme were treated to a range of activities.

Although Key Stage 3 exam results are still being assessed, NLT strategic lead Sarah Aykin said a change in mentality was clear across the participating schools.

She said: "Language and literacy underpins all teaching and learning. If you can't read, write, speak and listen in specific ways, you can't access the curriculum.

"Attitudinally we know there has been an enormous shift. The biggest impact has been strategic planning for literacy and it being part of the whole school project."

The Oxfordshire Gaining Momentum programme was launched in 2014 by the National Literacy Trust (NLT), in partnership with the county council.

It aimed to repeat the success of the Oxford Mail-backed Oxfordshire Reading Campaign, launched by the NLT in 2012 to boost flagging English grades in primary schools.

Henry Box School deputy head Becky Goddard said: "We have seen a huge improvement in reading. The number of books taken out of the library has tripled."

Youngsters were also wowed by sessions with the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Company and poet and performer Dreadlockalien, real name Richard Grant.

He said: "Some of the best poets in the country are on this project, giants within their own field. It's a high calibre event. These are spoilt young people really."

Meanwhile in Blackbird Leys, three primary schools were bursting at the seams yesterday with excited young book fans helping each other "see another world".

The 'Readathon' event saw pupils from the Blackbird Academy Trust (BAT)'s three primary schools – Orchard, Windale and Pegasus – paired up with older students from Cherwell, Oxford High and St Edward's schools to share a passion for reading, returned in force with more than 1,000 youngsters involved.

Pegasus deputy head Charlie Pitt said: "This is a school that loves reading and we are always ready to promote that. Reading opens doors.

St Edward's Alex Niang, 17, said reading Murray the Horse with his tiny partner Melissa Chesterman, six, had been a nostalgic experience.

He said: "The book jogs you back to when you were younger. You build up a relationship with a child over such a short time by reading a book.

"Because ours is a boarding school it's very closed off and you're often just caught up in daily school life, but it's good to see Oxford as a community."

Year 2 pupil Maisie Langley, seven, said the event had been "just amazing".

She added: "It was really exciting meeting someone I didn't know. My partner says she had a big library at her house and she loves reading.

"Normally before I go to bed my mum lets me watch TV but sometimes I have 20 minutes of reading. My favourite author is Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake is a really good illustrator. It's amazing to open a book and see a new world."