MORE BANG FOR YOUR BOOK: FIVE STAR BUILDER DONATES £1,000 TOWARDS WARRINGTON SCHOOL READING PROJECT

A Warrington primary school has a received £1,000 donation towards a vending machine that dispenses a variety of books to pupils as part of David Wilson Homes’ Our Space Your Place scheme.

Meadowside Primary School is located a short distance away from the housebuilder’s Orchard Meadows development on Dipping Brook Avenue, and is encouraging its pupils to read more through this exciting project.

The school has gone through a number of upgrades in the last 12 months including a new roof and new flooring due to severe weather and flooding.

Joanne Makin, Deputy Headteacher at Meadowside Primary School, said: “We want to provide an after-school book club to our pupils to foster a love of reading.

“The plan is for children in each class to have incentives for “reading miles,” with a book from the vending machine as a reward every half term. The machine can hold up to 150 books, and children would receive a token for their reading efforts so that they can choose a book from the machine to keep.”

A survey from The National Literacy Trust found that children’s enjoyment of reading has increased during lockdown, rising from 47.8% before lockdown to 55.9% afterwards.[1] It was reported that three in five children surveyed (59.3%) thought that reading made them feel better during lockdown, whilst three in ten (31.6%) felt that reading helped them when they felt sad due to being unable to see families and friends.

With children back in school following their re-opening on the 8th March, Meadowside Primary School want to make sure all pupils have access to reading materials. She continued: “A significant number of children face challenges with communication and language, and are exposed to very little reading material at home. Reading isn’t often encouraged at home, and we strive to engage parents and carers, but it can become more difficult as the children move up through the school.

“Our aim is to encourage and increase self-efficiency and motivation, so children read by themselves at home without the need to be urged by a parent or carer.”

Robert Holbrook, Managing Director of David Wilson Homes North West, said: “As one of the UK’s leading developers, it is really important that we support the community in the areas in which we build.

“Meadowside Primary School are working hard to support their pupils in and out of the education environment, and we are happy to support them in the plight to encourage a love of reading. We wish them the best of luck with their new vending machine, and in difficult times like these we’re encouraging more people to support their local community.”

Joanne added: “The Our Space Your Place scheme has enabled us to provide a special project that will have longevity for years to come. Reading is such an important life skill, and it is always high in our agenda for pupils.

“Schools are always struggling with finances, particularly in the last 12 months with the pandemic. Funding for projects such as this is a luxury that isn’t always available within our school budget, so the donation from David Wilson Homes was magical and enabled us to make a dream come true.

“Communities need to work together and support each other, and working in a highly deprived community, I have seen how local charities are helping as many families living in poverty as possible. Donations often go to basic essentials, and we want to thank David Wilson Homes for allowing us to bring a bit of sparkle to our school, as well as plenty of excitement.”