Primary school in Doncaster receives amazing library transformation with 500 new books

Denaby Main Primary Academy has become the first school to benefit from the Chase Rewarding Futures Initiative.

Chase is a digital bank, they have partnered with the National Literacy Trust and Penguin Random House UK to transform the library of the school.

Kay Godfrey, regional director at Astrea Academy Trust, said: “This new library is at the heart of our school at Denaby Main and we are under no doubt that it will transform the lives of our pupils.

“Children now have access to a wonderful array of amazing books - from fiction to nonfiction, from poetry to the best picture books around.

“Not only that, this new space will enable children to share books with their friends and families like never before, with the e-books and audio players opening up new, infinitely more accessible ways to discover new stories and voices.

“We are incredibly grateful for our new library which provided a real legacy for our children and will have a huge impact on their lives for many years to come.”

The new library includes modular furniture, shelving, a display space, a space for parents to meet and be involved with their child’s reading and gathering space for events such as author visits.

The library has 500 new books, e-readers, and audio books.

Local artist, author, and NLT Doncaster Hub Manager, Phillip Sheppard created a mural for the library depicting a local street scene from his children’s book series ‘Discover Doncaster.’

Sanoke Viswanathan, CEO of Chase in the UK, said: “It’s great to see the school library transformation at Denaby Main take shape.

“The school is the first of many school library transformations as part of our commitment to support children’s literacy in the UK.”

Teachers at the school will receive bespoke training to equip them with strategies to create a culture of reading for pleasure in the school community, expand their knowledge of children’s literature, and support to maintain the reading spaces as hubs of imagination and creativity.

Families and carers of children at the school will be provided with guidance and advice on how to support their children with reading, as well as invitations to special community and school literacy events, and author readings.

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