WHARFEDALE pupils have been given an educational gift before they start secondary school.

The Rotary Club of Otley Chevin has handed out a total of 220 illustrated dictionaries to local Year 6 school leavers.

The books have been presented to children at all of Otley's primary schools, along with Menston Primary and Askwith Primary, as part of the Rotary movement's Dictionary 4 Life project.

The scheme, run in association with Usborne Publishing Ltd, aims to promote literacy and boost the educational achievement of pupils around the world.

Rotary Club of Otley Chevin's Community Service chairman, Roy Tate, said: "This is the seventh year the club has distributed dictionaries and it is part of our ongoing commitment to education in the area.

"We believe the dictionaries are a useful adjunct to learning, even in this era of Internet access.

"Teachers at all the participating schools commented that researching via a book is an essential skill for all pupils, and the dictionaries are always well received by both teachers and pupils."

Westgate Primary headteacher, Helen Carpenter, said: "It is lovely to be given these dictionaries.

"We've been receiving them from the club for a few years now, and it's just a really nice gift and great part of preparing the children for high school and part of the process of saying goodbye to them before that.

"Using a dictionary is also a really useful skill, even in this digital age."

Year 6 class teacher at The Whartons Primary, Paul Hampson, said: "This is another fantastic donation from the club.

"It's a wonderful gift that will help pupils in their studies."

The Dictionary 4 Life website says that by using the books efficiently "children explore spellings, meanings and derivations, for example by using alphabetical order, abbreviations and definitions with understanding".

It adds: "One of the most positive aspects of being able to use a dictionary is that it helps to develop autonomy and confidence in the learner – one of the core goals of education."