Twelve top students at a Maidstone secondary school have been rewarded for their reading efforts with the title of Literacy Stars.

The diligent dozen, who were rewarded with special T-shirts, will encourage other students to read more through the Buster’s Book Club reading reward scheme and will mentor pupils at nearby primary schools too.

New Line Learning Academy has been using the scheme to motivate its Year 7 pupils and is planning to continue with it in Year 8.

Key Stage 3 English co-ordinator Lauren Meek said: “Our kids are really getting on well with it and are starting to develop a love and appreciation for reading.”

The scheme turns reading into a competitive activity, getting classes within a school to compete against each other to see who can read the most each week. Pupils have a target of a set number of minutes to spend reading alone, with their parents or by listening to an audio book.

Every school has a trophy to award to the best or most improved class each week – and every month there are big prizes for the best classes in each district, such as tickets to Leeds Castle and Wildwood, and storytelling visits from celebrities.

Buster’s Book Club is supported by Orbit, Golding Vision (part of Golding Homes), Kent County Council, Medway Council, Three R’s Teacher Recruitment, Whitefriars, Specsavers, Eurostar, Little Cheyne Court, Kent Community Foundation, Planet Ice, and Hornby.

For more information, or to sign up, visit www.bustersbookclub.co.uk or contact Kathy Beel at kbeel@thekmgroup.co.uk.