PTA Fundraising Success

24th October 2025 - A New Chapter 

Around 12 months ago, the school recognised the need for a dedicated library building and, together with the PTA and parent volunteers, began turning that vision into reality. Each class currently enjoys its own reading corner, but the current library - a corridor outside the headteacher’s office - is a thoroughfare, often noisy and distracting, and cannot accommodate a full class. While it is the best the school can provide with the space available, it is not fit for purpose. The school aims to give the children a dedicated area that inspires curiosity, imagination, and confidence in reading.   

From these early discussions, a shared vision has taken shape: a purpose-built, inspiring, and multifunctional library designed to encourage every child to explore, discover, and enjoy reading, while also providing a flexible space for learning, creativity, and wellbeing. 

Our Proposed Library

Designed with sustainability and flexibility in mind, the space will feature energy-efficient lighting, natural ventilation, perimeter shelving to maximise floor space, and a calming, nature-inspired theme that provides a distinctive environment for reading and learning, reflecting the school’s ethos of “growing together.” The project is currently progressing through the planning permission process, and the school is working through the final internal library designs. While the overall layout is largely agreed, a few details remain to be finalised, and project costs may therefore adjust slightly.  

Fundraising Progress 

To date, thanks to the generosity of parents, donors, grant providers, and the school itself, we have raised £42,308.60 of the estimated £54,574.10 target - approximately 78% of the total cost. 

A special thank you goes to Mr Lamaison, a valued member of the local community who, despite not having direct family connections to the school, has generously supported the project to benefit current and future pupils. We look forward to welcoming him as a volunteer reader when the build is complete!

The school is also grateful to children who have shown enthusiasm for helping to raise funds, including Sienna, whose initiative highlights the collaboration and shared effort at the heart of this project. 

Fundraising continues, with grant applications under review and upcoming events, including a Quiz Night in February 2026. 

Looking Ahead 

With a clear vision and near-final designs, the school is excited to share the concept of the proposed library and take the children and wider parent community with them on this journey. We look forward to keeping everyone updated as the project progresses and thank you all for your continued support in bringing the new library to life. Your contributions and generosity have been key in helping the project progress so far. Please see the design reveal on the next page! 

10th July 2026 - School Library Project Update

We would like to share an update on the progress of our new school library project and the next steps towards bringing this project to life. As many of you know, the planning process has taken longer than originally anticipated. During this process, it became necessary to amend the application to relocate the proposed library within the school grounds, resulting in a revised planning application. The new proposal places the library opposite Squirrel Class, adjacent to the climbing frame and alongside the fence line. The design of the library has also been adapted to suit the revised location, including changes to the orientation of the building, which has informed adjustments to the internal layout to ensure the space works effectively for pupils and staff. This location emerged as the most appropriate solution, providing excellent visibility and accessibility for pupils and staff throughout the school day, supporting effective safeguarding, allowing for the ongoing management of the surrounding trees, and enabling the new library to sit sensitively within our unique rural setting while creating a welcoming and accessible space for children. 

We are expecting a decision on the amended planning application on 24 July 2026 and continue to work closely with our supplier, New Home Improvements, so that, subject to approval, construction can begin as soon as possible. Our aim remains to complete as much of the project as possible during the summer holidays to minimise disruption to the school. However, due to the planning timeline, some elements of the work may need to continue into the start of the autumn term to ensure the library is completed as soon as possible and to maximise the time available for pupils and staff to enjoy and benefit from this new space. 

We are also delighted to confirm that our fundraising target of £53,279.10 has now been achieved! We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who has supported the project, including individual donors, our grant funders, the PTA and the wider school community. Your generosity and commitment have made this vision possible. In addition to recognising the many people who have contributed through fundraising events and other forms of support, we would like to give special recognition to Laura Purse, who has overseen this project from beginning to end. Laura has worked tirelessly to turn this vision into reality, navigating numerous challenges and setbacks with determination, creativity and perseverance. Her dedication to the project has been exceptional, and we are immensely grateful for all she has done to make this achievement possible. 

The new library comes at a particularly exciting time, as 2026 marks the National Year of Reading, with a renewed focus on encouraging reading for pleasure and supporting children to develop a lifelong love of books. This dedicated, welcoming space will provide children with a calm and inspiring environment to explore stories, nurture their imagination and develop their literacy skills, while creating a lasting resource for our school community for many years to come. 

We look forward to welcoming pupils, staff and families into this exciting new space in the new academic year and seeing the library come to life as a special place for our whole school community to enjoy.