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Announcing the winner: Learning Professional Award 2024

We are delighted to announce that Renfrewshire classroom assistant Lorraine McAdam has won Scottish Book Trust's Learning Professional Award 2024!

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Classroom assistant Lorraine McAdam has not only transformed the reading culture at St Anne's Primary School but has, over the last 25 years, become a beloved figure in both the school and the local community for her dedicated support of every child to find pleasure in reading. As well as going above and beyond to create unique child-led reading spaces, forge productive links with the local community and deliver successful book-gifting events, Lorraine sparkles with compassion, connection, and joy – reminding the pupils every day of their skills and talents, and how glad she is that they are a part of their school community.

The Learning Professional Award, now in its eighth year, is a national award that recognises the hard work learning professionals do to bring the magic of reading to young people. The winner receives a prize of £500 worth of books from the award's sponsor, Browns Books.

Statement from winner Lorraine McAdam

I’m honoured to receive the Learning Professional Award from the Scottish Book Trust as I know there are so many worthy winners all over Scotland. This was a lovely surprise for me and a double celebration as I celebrated 25 years at St Anne’s this year. I’m so proud of our school and I enjoy seeing our pupils reading in our child-led libraries, which we created together. This gives the pupils a voice in what they would like to read and what kind of reading environments they would like to read in. Observing the pupils increase their vocabulary, general knowledge and strengthen their writing is so rewarding for me. I’m looking forward to the next chapter in our book to see what we do next!

Statement from class teacher Fiona Stevenson

I nominated Lorraine for the Learning Professional Award as she puts her heart and soul into everything she does and her passion, drive and enthusiasm grow each year. Lorraine is extremely proud of our school and always tries to ensure that its love of reading shines through. She is a valued member of our Reading Steering Group and she has organised various successful reading initiatives. Lorraine creates wonderful child-led reading areas, she works closely with Erskine Library and she has created a relaxing library within our school for members of our community.

Our pupils have become a lot more engaged with their reading due to her ideas to encourage and promote reading. Her knowledge, creativity and enthusiasm have helped to inspire pupils who thought reading was not for them. Every pupil in our school has benefited from Lorraine's care, passion and dedication. She brings a smile to all our faces and we are extremely lucky to have Lorraine in our school.

Statement from Scottish Book Trust CEO Marc Lambert

Warmest congratulations to Lorraine, a deserving winner of this year’s Learning Professional award for her inspiring commitment to the pupils at St Anne’s as she encourages each one of them to find pleasure in reading. Not only has she encouraged every pupil to explore their imaginations through books, while also building their confidence, but has introduced new library spaces and was instrumental in the school achieving its silver Reading School accreditation. It’s clear that with her warmth and dedication, she is a real asset not just to the school, but within the whole community. Our thanks to Browns Books for making this important award possible.

Statement from Browns Books Sales Director Claire Smith

Many congratulations to Lorraine on being the well-deserved winner of this year’s Scottish Book Trust Learning Professional Award. It is always so heart-warming to hear stories of how people are going above and beyond to help children, their parents, and members of the local community fall in love with reading. Our relationship with reading should be a lifelong connection that grows and evolves over time, and we’re never too young or old to get lost in a good book. We look forward to helping choose some amazing new books for St Anne’s Primary School. Well done, Lorraine!

Highly commended

This year, Scottish Book Trust would like to recognise an additional individual who has gone above and beyond to bring the joy of books and reading to the young people of Scotland.

Stephen Leitch, school librarian at Keith Grammar School and Buckie High School

Stephen Leitch works as a school librarian across two high schools, as well as a number of cluster primary schools. Stephen was nominated for this award for his devotion to the development of reading and literacy amongst young people. As well as having a great knowledge of contemporary children's books and an uncanny ability to give the perfect recommendation, Stephen holds that rare and special ability to connect with each and every pupil that he works with. Stephen's hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm continue to have a lasting impact on the young people of Moray, inspiring them to see themselves as readers and transforming attitudes towards books and literacy. Here's what one of his pupils had to say:

I go regularly to the school library.  Mr Leitch is funny, kind and helpful.  This means I have someone I can talk to when I don’t know what to do.  It is a place where you feel safe.  Mr Leitch shows me where to find the books I am interested in and suggests new ones to read.  There are often events in the library by Mr Leitch.  He’s a pretty cool dude!

- S2 pupil

Browns Books

Scottish Book Trust would like to thank Browns Books who sponsor the Learning Professional Award. Browns Books is the UK's leading supplier of books, eBooks and DVDs for schools, colleges, universities and businesses.