Help us bring our school library into the 21st century!   

Our school library needs renovating and modernising.  

We need up-to-date books that support the curriculum. 

We need new seating that allows the children to explore in a way that reflects best practice regarding literacy in primary education. 

And we need to repaint the walls.   

As a small one-form-entry state primary school, we simply don’t have the money to pay for the library ourselves. We are lucky to have a dedicated teaching team who are passionate about delivering a reading-rich curriculum. Unfortunately, we do not yet have the library facilities to match.

What we’re fundraising for :

*2,000 new books

* modern shelving to put them on

*better lighting and seating·     

*fresh paint for the walls.    

The children at Redlands have put a significant amount of thought into how they would like their library to look and how they would like to access it. The upper and lower school have designed murals and elements of the library which we would like to include. They would also like a local author to launch the library that they have invested so much of their energy into.  Have a look at some of their ideas in the image library!

Any money raised over the target will be ring fenced for library updates, further books, and literacy related activities such as visiting authors and writing workshops for the children.

The special role of the school library

Redlands has a higher-than-average percentage of children with additional needs and learning difficulties. Over 40% of our families come from BAME backgrounds, 72% of our children speak English as an additional language, and we have a high percentage of children who are entitled to free school meals.    

We therefore need to create an effective, well-resourced, interactive learning environment for the children, which supports all children and families; no matter financial status, educational need, first language spoken or cultural background.  We are looking to develop our reading curriculum offer and access to reading. This hinges significantly on children's ability to read at an age-appropriate level and interrogate texts appropriately.  

The National Literacy Trust have issued a nationwide wake-up call which highlights reading enjoyment being at their lowest since their records began. According to their data, almost 60% of children are not opting to read in their spare time. Only 1 in 5 children have read with a family member over the past four weeks. Children in receipt of free school meals have the lowest reading enjoyment levels, further widening the attainment gap.

At Redlands, we firmly believe that if children have the skills, then the enjoyment naturally follows.

Help us help our teaching team to do what they do best and teach, and with the right facilities!

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Friends of Redlands is a charity.

Charity Number: 1193814