Classics such as Edith Nesbit’s ‘The Railway Children’, C.S Lewis’ ‘Narnia: ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s ‘The Secret Garden’ are at the heart of a new school library that has opened at The Prince of Wales School in Dorchester, Dorset this week.
At an opening ceremony today (Monday 4th March 2019), Mayor of Dorchester, Councillor David Taylor was joined by celebrated children’s author David Solomons in declaring the school library officially open!
Speaking about the new library space, Headteacher at The Prince of Wales School, Mr. Gary Spracklen said, ‘I feel passionately that every school should have a beautiful library. A space where children want to be, where they can explore texts, discover new cultures and be immersed in a world of pure imagination! Our new space at The Prince of Wales School does just that and I am delighted that we’ve been able to welcome David Solomons back to our school today to open this most magical of spaces”.
David’s first novel for children, ‘My Brother is a Superhero’, won the Waterstones Children’s Prize and the British Book Industry Awards Children’s Book, both in 2016. Speaking about The Prince of Wales School David said, “It’s great to return to The Prince of Wales School and see the progress they have made since my last visit in January 2018. The library space they have created is exceptional and what is most impressive is the investment they have made in stocking the space with high quality texts that will inspire a love of reading for all children”.
Speaking about the new library, Year 1 Pupil Cameron said, “We love our new library! It’s jam packed with lots of wonderful tales that help us become better readers. I also like all the non-fiction books and finding out information about world and all about space!”
Year 4 pupil Reece added, “The new library we have at school is SO MUCH bigger than the old one. It’s full of lots of new books as well as all our old favourites. I’ve really enjoyed reading The Railway Children in class recently”.
Teaching Assistant and School Librarian, Mrs. Barbara Thomas adds, “The children love the new space and are able to track their reading progress using a new online tool called ‘Accelerated Reader’. We are already seeing children progress quicker with their reading through rich engagement with this programme and the new library space. The Prince of Wales School is a very exciting place to be a young learner, our new school library only add to this.”
Mr. Spracklen talking about the transformation said that there was a lot of people to thank for making the new library space a reality for the school, “We have a lot of people to thank for making this project a reality. From the dedicated staff team to the army of parent and carer volunteers who have helped make our vision a reality. Special thanks must go our ever-brilliant Caretaker Mr. Bascombe who has coordinated this project alongside our school librarian Mrs. Thomas who has spent many hours cataloguing our new stock”.
Mr. Spracklen believes the new library will have a long-term impact stating, “This isn’t just about today, this is about inspiring our children to become lifelong readers. We will continue to seek to develop the space and make it the very best it can be for generations to come”.
With such inspirational practice, it is perhaps no surprise that The Prince of Wales School has it’s many plaudits.
Following it’s recent inspection visit (June 2018), Her Majesty’s School Inspectorate ‘OFSTED’ wrote the following about the school’s approach, “Leaders have ensured that the school’s engaging curriculum is inspiring pupils to learn. There is a breadth of coverage which is underpinned by numerous opportunities for pupils to develop their writing”, this was further support with the words that, “…teachers look for every opportunity to supplement the curriculum with activities and events that inspire pupils and fire their imagination”.
