Library makeover - SOS!!

At Downsbrook, we LOVE to read but our current library is dark, dingy and drab - an uninspiring space to read! 

We are launching this crowdfunding appeal to help raise £5,000 towards turning our new library space into a light, bright and inviting sanctuary for reading where all children can see themselves in the pages of a book.    

We've made a brilliant start in the library makeover thanks to our staff and parent helpers who have moved the library shelves and books into a bright new space. What would really make a difference now is to purchase new furniture to make it a cosy place to snuggle up with a good book.   

The Current Library: A drab reading spot indeed! 

Currently we have a dark space that is bland with no reading inspiration.  

It's outdated, univiting, suited to mainly older children and isn't in a central part of the school making it harder for the younger children to access it easily.  We LOVE reading and we think that all of the children should have a much better reading space. 

Why does our school library matter? 

• It helps us to become lifelong readers 
• It helps  mental health and well being 
• It's an inclusive place - books for everyone 
• It inspires creativity and fires imaginations 

Our Vision: A Bright, Light and Engaging Library Space that Reflects Our School and Our Children - A Place Where Books Take Us Beyond Our Classrooms! 

We want our children to take flight in our new, brightly furnished library so that they can be transported to other worlds, to realms and kingdoms beyond their wildest dreams - To be time travelers - visiting places and periods in history and across the globe and to bring all these experiences back to their own writing by firing their imaginations.   

Picture Credit: Promote your school 

With comfy seating, bespoke and vibrant feature walls and improved book accessibility we can help our children in their reading journey.

Picture Credit: The Booktrust

We are determined to create a great school library that sits in a vibrant space in the heart of the school. We want a library that allows children to satisfy their curiosity, stimulates their creativity and with every page turn, encourages them to become independent, informed and inquisitive learners. 

Here at Downsbrook reading is prioritised and is central to everything we do.  The use of high quality texts runs through our whole curriculum like a golden thread. We want to ensure that each and every member of our school community sees not only themselves reflected in our choice of literature but that they have the opportunity to develop a more diverse and global view and, as Margaret Meek (2012)i says, that they have the opportunity to experience and explore “the depth and breadth of human experience” a view supported more recently by  Farrah Serroukh (2020)ii  who highlights the importance of literature that “speaks to children, invites them to make connections with their own and others’ lives and lets them know they have a place in this reading world.”  

Every donation will make a difference 

We know that money is tight and and we appreciate any contribution, big or small. Your donation will make a tremendous difference in our efforts to make this library take flight. Whether it's the price of a cup of coffee or the cost of a new book, every penny counts!

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(i)Meek, M. (2012) ‘Learning to Read’ (reprint) Random House Publishing

(ii) Serroukh, F. (2020) in CLPE ‘The Power of a Rich Reading Classroom’ Corwin/Sage Publications