Pupils at Bishops Cannings Primary School proved they are avid readers with success in a national reading competition.

They took part in the Read For My School challenge, in which they had to read as many books as they could during two months.

Bishops Cannings pupils read 902 books in total, while Year 5 pupils in Birds of the Morning class exceeded all expectations by reading a total of 538 books collectively. As a result they won 100 books for the school.

Year 5 teacher Ben Squire said: “We were amazed by the excitement and enthusiasm for reading that this competition generated. Pupils were reading at home, at school, on the bus, in the car, in bed, at break time, lunchtime and even before breakfast!”

Headteacher Jonathan Barber said: “Reading for pleasure is at the heart of our school and being able to cultivate long-lasting positive attitudes to reading is key.”

The Read for My School initiative comes from The Pearson Foundation and the Booktrust and is backed by the Department for Education.