Big DoG Schools Tour 2025

We took Big DoG on the road again last November, bringing authors and storytellers to 2,200 children in 50 schools and learning centres across Dumfries and Galloway.

About the tour

In 2025 we engaged over 2,200 pupils and an additional 850 pupils accessed the programme through live-streamed events on Friday 28 November. We welcomed authors Alan Windram, Michaela Morgan, Joseph Coelho, and David C. Flanagan and storytellers Renita Boyle and Maureen Philips who attended learning centres.

Feedback highlighted:

• Interactive and energetic delivery that captivated pupils.
• Use of props, music, movement, and participatory activities to maintain engagement.
• Enhanced understanding of the writing process - authors demystified creativity and encouraged perseverance.
• Personal storytelling and relatable journeys that inspired pupils to see authors as “normal” and accessible.
• Alignment with curriculum goals - sessions supported writing, poetry, and reading for pleasure initiatives.
• Professional inspiration - teachers gained new ideas for classroom practice. 

"Participating in the Big DoG author visits is an invaluable experience for our rural learners who don’t always have access to such experiences.” - St Mungo and Hightae Primaries

“A real-life author brings writing to life, making the words in a book more relevant to the learners’ journeys with their own writing.” - St Teresa’s RC Primary School

“Alan completely enthralled our youngest learners from Nursery through to P4/5. Keeping around 125 little people engaged for an hour is no mean feat!” - Gretna Primary School

“Joseph Coelho was an amazing experience for our pupils…He made reading, writing and illustrating seem cool and a possibility for anyone.” - Dumfries Academy

Our Mission

According to research from the Department of Education, reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income.

According to another report from the UK Social Mobility Commission, one in four primary pupils in Dumfries and Galloway are below the national average of expected reading and writing levels. With our education tour, we hope to help fill this gap by sharing the power of story and inspiring the next generation of readers.

Books are for everyone

The Schools Tour is especially important in a wide-reaching region with low social mobility. Due to distance and monetary constraints, many children are unable to attend our festival events. The Schools Tour brings book festival events to their doorstep.