Longwood Primary

“There will be no wellies, soggy shoes and spare glue sticks stored in here but a proper reading space.” Vanessa Ranch

We were first put in touch with Longwood Primary School in the summer of 2023. After the first conversation with Vanessa Ranch, the school’s reading lead, we knew we’d found our next Whole School Reading Project. All of our projects have the same aim – to cultivate and foster a reading for pleasure environment.

We helped create a brand new KS1 library where the children could escape to the jungle or the moon or travel back in time without moving their feet.

“At Longwood we value the importance of reading and how it provides opportunities for all to explore a wealth of opportunities with each turn of a page…with a lot of imagination prompted with a good book the world truly is your oyster.” Vanessa Ranch

 

Before…

 

After!

By the end of November 2023, the brand new library space was completed and the shelves fully stacked with carefully selected books. We asked the pupils and staff what books they wanted to see on the shelves and the replies we got ranged from books about insects to books about outer space.

 

Our friends at The Daily Express covered the grand opening which included a ribbon cutting from the Mayor (an ex pupil of Longwood), a reading by Farhana Islam from her debut picture book Not Now Noor! and a flawlessly synchronised Christmas performance from the year 5s and 6s.

 

 

“We feel reading opens the door to all education. So I’m speechless about this project. I just want to say thank you for this amazing opportunity for the children” Pauline James, Headteacher

 

 

We hit the ground running in the new year and were back in Tamworth after only a few weeks into 2024, only this time we were joined by illustrator Dorien Brouwers.

During our year working with Longwood Primary, we wanted to reach all year groups. Picture Book Club was the perfect way for the older pupils to create a buzz around reading for the younger pupils.

Picture Book Club provides all the materials you need to run a peer led book club in a primary school. Year 5s lead small book clubs for year 1s, using the 15 picture books carefully selected to include a diverse range of authors and styles, and the simple training session.