How Dalmellington Primary School Uses Giglets to Inspire a Love of Reading

At Dalmellington Primary School in East Ayrshire, Giglets has become a central resource for engaging learners across early and primary stages. Staff at the school describe Giglets as an accessible, flexible, and fun platform that supports classroom reading, ICT skills, and even language development. We spoke with teachers and leaders from the school to find out more…

Pupils at Dalmellington Primary school sitting on floor, using Giglets with their class teacher

Interactive Learning

Ashley McLurkin, a Primary 1 teacher with 14 years of experience, shared how Giglets is used in her classroom:

"It's an interactive resource, so the children love touching the screen. They love being able to change the background colour, change the font size and play with Giglets. That takes us into a lot of ICT lessons as well, because then we can explore how to do that."

This interactivity not only fosters independence but also links reading with digital literacy in an age-appropriate way.

Reducing Teacher Workload

Ashley also pointed out the benefits Giglets brings in supporting teaching and learning:

"The tasks that Giglets provides are really useful because they are already related to the book. So it takes a bit of teacher workload away."

By offering ready-to-use activities that connect with each text, Giglets allows teachers to spend more time focusing on pupil needs.

A Variety of Texts

Claire Stevenson, Deputy Head, noted how children respond to the platform:

"The children love Giglets. They love the variety of the types of texts."

From stories and poems to non-fiction, the breadth of materials ensures there is something to engage every pupil.

A Tool for Class and Home Learning

Headteacher Fiona Craig highlighted how Giglets supports consistency in reading instruction:

"We can use it in class. We can use it remotely as part of homework as well. It tends to be whole class lessons and we find the resource works really well for that because it's so engaging. It keeps the attention of a full class and it's really helped us as we try to raise attainment in reading."

Giglets is a flexible tool used to teach reading strategies and skills in both classroom and home settings.

Now Making an Impact across the Local Authority

Gail Elder, Education Manager for Literacy at East Ayrshire Council, also advocates for the platform:

"Such a huge variety of topics. The fact that we've got books that are in a range of different languages... I definitely would recommend Giglets."

Schools across East Ayrshire have found Giglets effective in supporting language diversity and encouraging consistent reading habits.

Dalmellington Primary’s experience shows how Giglets can play a powerful role in enriching literacy teaching, supporting digital skills, and making reading exciting for every child.