LoveReading4Schools had the chance to chat with Claire Sleath of Upton Priory who were recently shortlisted for SLA Enterprise of the Year Award. Here's what Claire had to say about setting up their school library from scratch. Some great advice for the 14% of primary schools without at school library and those of us who struggle without investment in our libraries. 

Claire, when you joined Upton Priory in 2022, you were one of the 14% of primary schools in the UK without a dedicated library area. Tell us about the challenge you set for yourself.
Reading for pleasure is something I am extremely passionate about, due to the importance of it for children's academic success and the benefits to their mental health. When I joined the school, I was very surprised that there was no useable school library. I set myself the challenge to not only have an attractive, cosy space for the children to enjoy books, but I wanted to space to enable the staff and children to identify as readers. Therefore, I did a lot of research on how the space could teach the children to have an intrinsic desire to read. Inspired by the Nuffield Love to Read Project, I wanted to fill the bookshelves with a range of reading genres, create spaces for children to identify with themselves as readers, engage in social reading opportunities and form strong connections with the diverse characters within the books.

I also had a vision that the space would reflect the whole school community. I considered how the space would create connections with the children within our school. Therefore, I hired Reading Champions who helped me create a vision for our library, and they were actively involved in every step along the way.

The whole school community must have been delighted when you delivered this challenge on time and within a modest budget. How tough was it?
 I didn't anticipate that the project would become so big and take so long, but I had fire in my belly to make it something special! It took a lot of my time and energy, but the overwhelming support I received meant it wasn't tough at all. I would say my enthusiasm for the space became contagious as I was determined for it to be special and bespoke, reflecting the school's ethos. As a new member of staff to the school, it also helped me to build relationships with the staff and children quickly, as it ended up being a team project.

Grants and fundraising were a big part of this. How did you find out about which grants were available and which you were eligible for?
 It was a real challenge delivering my ambitious vision, with no school budget at all. I worked tirelessly to apply for every grant and competition I could find. Most competitions I entered I found online via social media. It is incredible there are so many charities and Reading for Pleasure initiatives that are out there; it feels like there is an army of people with the same desire to give children access to high-quality books! I also spent a lot of time researching and networking with other professionals.

I had never applied for grants before, so I was elated to have such great success, as I know they can be extremely competitive. We won more than 8 competitions - it got to the point when my colleagues would roll their eyes when yet another box of books arrived in the school office. But I was relentless in my efforts, and it paid off! I couldn't have done it without our Reading Champions. They helped me write a lot of our competition entries, and I would say that having a children's voice was critical to our success.

I love to hear of other schools striving to improve and update their library shelves, as I have seen the huge impact it has had in my own school. To support other schools in my Trust, I documented all of the competitions and grants I entered and created a case study for them to use. I would also encourage people to think outside of the box if they are not having much success. I found that just 'putting it out there' to the local community meant that we were overwhelmed with donations; I even received an email from a lady who offered to scour charity shops for us to find the most up-to-date titles good as new - she was amazing!

We understand that you had a brilliant team of staff, pupils, parents and members of the community supporting you in this endeavour. Tell us about them.
I couldn't have done it without the whole school community. Firstly, the wonderful school Reading Champions kept the joy alive through the long process and were always keen to go above and beyond to spread the love of reading. Mr Mac (our school caretaker), spent hours hand building furniture, painting walls and putting up shelves on top of keeping the school propped up!

The kindness of the local community shone through the project. From book donations, fundraising and kindness, the small details of the project all came together with their support. For example, a local scaffolding business donated a scaffolding pole, which allowed us to make the wonderful library 'Reading Tree' from old and outdated books. Also, our PTFA were absolutely relentless in fundraising and promoting events to support the project.

Local businesses like 'Simply Books, Bramhall' and The Education Library Service' added much-needed knowledge of children's books to make the space usable and relevant to the children. Without them we wouldn't have the incredible range of book genres and reading materials which provide breadth for every child in the school, regardless of their reading ability. Finally, our wonderful, wonderful staff helped keep the sparkle going. They dedicated hours to add the finishing touches to the space, and they continue to promote enthusiasm in their visits to 'The Book Nook' each week. It was a real team effort!

And the finished library. What sort of space have you created for your students?
Upton Priory's Book Nook is a truly magical space. It is organised into sections, where different book genres are clearly signposted, and children know where to find texts which align with their interests. Children have been taught through assemblies about different reading experiences and have been encouraged to decide which types of books they enjoy. You will find a range of non-fiction, fiction, magazines and graphic novels. The shelves have been designed to contain many nooks and crannies for children to curl up and read. There are also social spaces where children can read books together and share their reading experiences.

You will find on the walls the bespoke mural, containing the children's favourite book characters, which was designed with the children by a local artist. We have also showcased Daniel Pennac's Rights of the Reader, to encourage children to feel empowered and in control of their own reading identity. Displayed on shelves you will also find book recommendations and book journal entries written by children across the school. These provide inspiration for children who aren't sure what to read next.

The showstopper is the 'Reading Tree', which we made out of old, tatty books found around school. I wanted to recycle these to make a 'wow' element in the space, rather than throwing them away.

Since our shortlisting, we have added another nook into the library called 'Book Club'. Across school we have found many multiple copies of old books, which we have put together into boxes for groups of children to share and read at the same time. Here we hope to further encourage 'book talk' amongst friends to allow old classics to be celebrated.

What impact has this had on the school?
The largest impact has been that we now have a library space, whereas before children were unable to loan books from school ro read for pleasure. The space has instilled a real sense of magic, and the children's joy of reading has accelerated.

We have seen the following impact since the library opened last July:

-Created a reciprocal reading community throughout school. Children, teachers and parents will celebrate books and actively make recommendations to each other.
-Improved reading outcomes throughout school.
-Enhanced our wider curriculum, building on children’s interests and subject-specific knowledge.
-Motivated children’s engagement in learning, inclusive of increased volume of independent reading.
-Improved children’s wellbeing and confidence in themselves as readers (inclusive of children with SEND).
-Empowered staff to have a greater knowledge of children's books and subject knowledge.
-Engaged parents in reading with and to their children.
-Instilled a lifelong love of reading amongst many of our children and improved attitudes to reading.

What advice would you give to other schools in a similar situation?
My first bit of advice would be to do your research. What is it that your school is lacking and how can this be resolved? There is so much up to date research on creating a Reading for Pleasure culture in schools, and I relied heavily on this to create my vision.

Secondly, be brave, be bold and think outside of the box. Some of the most special parts of our school library are where we have created something brave. We put ourselves out there and were overwhelmed with the positive response we had from the community to make our vision a reality. The kindness of others is not to be overlooked, and I found that being honest about the school's needs helped gain people's support.

Finally, I would say that the children and the school's ethos should be reflective in the space you are creating. Speak to the children and ask them what they would like to see in their library.