Staff in the English department at Flint High School are celebrating after winning 100 brand new Penguin books by authors of colour for the school library.

Nicola Paulson, literary coordinator, applied to the Lit in Colour initiative run by Penguin in conjunction with TES (the Times Educational Supplement), and was delighted to receive the news that the school had been selected for a donation of books.

The books are a mix of fiction, non-fiction and poetry by Black, Asian and minority ethnic writers, and the prize also includes 30 copies of Sathnam Sanghera's Empireland, with an accompanying resource pack.

Mrs Paulson said: "We were absolutely thrilled to be one of the lucky schools chosen to win these wonderful books.

"It is so important for young people to have access to authors from all backgrounds so that they learn about different cultures and understand more about the issues and racial inequalities that exist in society, as well as giving them the opportunity to read some incredibly inspirational stories.

"These new books will bring a fresh perspective and a sense of balance to our reading stock, and we look forward to sharing them with our students and staff. I would like to sincerely thank Penguin for their generous donation to Flint High School."

Mia Hughes, Year 11, said: "Reading more of a diverse range of books helps young people to learn more about themselves as well as others."

Sophie Dare added: "Winning so many important new books for the school will make a great contribution to the learning of students."

Clare Millington, acting headteacher, said: "'After such a difficult time it is wonderful to see something so positive. It is important that all young people learn about different cultures and that they learn to respect and appreciate each other."

Due to the limited opportunity young people are being given to read and study books by Black, Asian and minority ethnic writers, Lit in Colour was devised last year by Penguin Books UK and race equality think tank, The Runnymede Trust, to support schools in the UK to make the teaching and learning of English literature more inclusive.

Extensive research was conducted amongst teachers, school librarians, and young people to discover what barriers might prevent more diverse texts from being taught in school, and recommendations were made to help bring about change in this area.

To find out more about the findings, visit https://litincolour.penguin.co.uk/.