“We chose BookSpace because they are experts in this field. They only supply primary school libraries and their knowledge and expertise was evident right from the initial meeting.”
Shabiha Sayed
Deputy Headteacher.
Elsley Primary School, Wembley
A school expansion project enabled Elsley Primary School to create a multi-functional school library for its pupils and the wider local community.
Summary
A new wing was constructed in 2017 to take Elsley Primary School from a 2-form intake to a 4-form intake school. The new school library was designed to be at the heart of the new building and to maximize the learning and teaching opportunities for staff, pupils and local community groups.
The challenge
Many pupils at Elsley Primary School have limited access to books at home and often English is not their first language. Keen to encourage pupils to read, Headteacher Mr Moss and Ms Sayed saw the new library as a good opportunity to develop pupils’ speaking and listening skills which they hoped could in turn improve their reading abilities.
How BookSpace helped
BookSpace visited Ms Sayed and her team to listen to their requirements and plans. It was evident the school had a clear focus and knew what they wanted from the new library space.
This included an amphitheatre to encourage speaking and listening but they were also keen to create a space which brought the ‘outside inside’.
“Helen understood what I wanted right from our initial meeting” says Ms Sayed. “But she wasn’t afraid to question what we were asking for at times. Everything that BookSpace suggested was evidently readerfocused and we’re so pleased we chose to go with a specialist library design company. We had a number of contractors who could have built a library for us but the results would not have been the same.
We have a unique school library here which we’re really proud of. It’s the focal point of the school and has learning opportunities for our pupils built into every corner. We’re even encouraging local community groups like our local Mother & Toddler group to use the space as they’re potentially our pupils of the future.”
“For any other school thinking of designing a new school library, I would say, start with a purpose and what you want to achieve and from that your library design will grow. ”
Shabiha Sayed, Deputy Headteacher
Library Design Service
At BookSpace we love helping to design reading spaces no matter how large or small. Our experienced team of designers, in-depth knowledge of primary schools and superb range of contemporary school library furniture combine to ensure that BookSpace is the ideal choice. Whatever the size and shape of your space, whichever the year group taught, we can create your dream school library.
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