A PROJECT has been launched at a Hartlepool school to encourage children to improve their reading skills.

St Helen's Primary School, on the Headland, is piloting the scheme, which involves making reading kits available for children to use at home.

Called Curiosity Kits, each one contains a book, a magazine, an activity sheet and other reading material on themes ranging from football to aeroplanes.

The project, which if successful could be extended to other schools, is jointly funded through the Government's Education Action Zone and the North Hartlepool Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) programme.

Andrea Liddell, SRB project officer, said: "The idea behind the project is to encourage pupils to read more at home with support and help from family members.

"Good reading skills are very important to every individual and the kits have various different themes to help them make reading as interesting as possible.

"Initially, the project is being piloted with one year four class, but we will be looking to extend it to other classes, and possibly other schools, in the future."

Parents were also invited to the school to find out more about the kits and the project.