New library opens at Stourport school
Excited children at a Stourport school are busy exploring their new £25,000 bespoke library.
The Hive at St Bartholomew’s CE Primary School, replaces shelves of books stacked in corridors and at the back of classrooms with an array of new fiction and non-fiction titles in a welcoming setting with comfortable furnishings.
The school is part of the Severn Academies Educational Trust (SAET) which funded the makeover of the room, previously used for intervention work.
The Friends of St Bartholomew’s raised £3,500 for furniture and the Foyle Foundation donated £6,000 for books.
Mike Goodall, head of school, said: “To have such a wonderful facility is a terrific boost towards the transformation of our reading culture. We are so grateful to the trust, our friends’ group and the Foyle Foundation.
“We’ve been able to modernise our book collection and increase the number of genres, with the aim of enhancing a love for reading and all the doors that being a good reader unlocks.
Trust collaboration was extended by Dawn Waldron, librarian at SAET school Baxter College, in Kidderminster, who helped set up the library systems. Pupils have access to The Hive at breaks and lunchtimes and some are set to become librarians.
Mr Goodall added: “The children are so excited at having their own library and being able to help to run it under the watchful eye of staff, providing opportunities for them to grow in confidence as young leaders and readers.”
By Sarah Beadsworth - Contributor
