A school has seen an "extraordinary" transformation after a new library was installed as part of a project led by a world-famous children's author.
Pupils at Woodchurch CofE Primary School have started to enjoy reading once more since a "life-changing library" was installed in the Wirral school. The new library was part of an project led by Cressida Cowell MBE, author of the How to Train your Dragon series of books which became a worldwide hit after being turned into films.
The library has boosted motivation and attention in classrooms throughout the school, according to a report published on the project. The report also revealed the library led to better teacher-pupil relations, "significant" improvements to teacher and pupil wellbeing, better behaviour, and the development of the children's vocabulary and imagination.
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The project saw six schools throughout the country get a new library, similar to the one installed at Woodchurch Primary, as "decades" of research has shown that children who "read for pleasure" are more likely to live healthier, happier and more successful lives. The schools were selected specifically because over a quarter of their students were receiving free school meals, or because they had different issues, such as a poor library provision, which was the case with Woodchurch Primary.
The "life-changing libraries" project was also intended to try to bridge the gap between disadvantaged kids or kids with special education needs (SEN). And in this regard the library at Woodchurch Primary was a massive success.
Mr Brian McGregor, headteacher of Woodchurch Primary, said: "For years we have been looking for interventions to help boost attainment to help close the gap between disadvantaged and SEN children and their peers. The library was the only intervention they needed.
"We [now] see children on the yard with books, walking down the corridor with beautiful new books they cannot wait to get back to the classroom to read. Reading is seen in the staffroom. Books are everywhere. Everybody is really hooked in."
Cressida Cowell MBE, who started the project when she became Waterstones Children's Laureate, told the ECHO that libraries were "massive" in her own youth, with trips to the library a weekly occurrence.
She said: "I've worked with literacy charities for 20 years, so I've seen all the research about the extraordinary impact reading for pleasure later in their life, but to see the transformative impact in action in such a short amount of time, it's really moving.
"Decades of research have shown that a key factor in a kid's later economic success is reading for pleasure. Why I think libraries are essential, and not a luxury, is because how can a kid whose parents can't afford books or their carers can't afford books read if there isn't a library in their primary school? How can that happen?
"One in eight primary schools have no library and that figure rises to one in four when there are more children on school meals. It's terrible.
"I read voraciously as a kid and a library, it's like a sweet shop where you can try stuff and find out what you like, and then you can read more. But the project is all backed up by research- my personal experience is one thing but it's all backed up by decades and decades of research.
"I was blown away by the impact in even just a year, a very disruptive year, that [the libraries] have had on these schools.
"It's really important that we don't lose track the fact that a huge physical book is like the perfect Montessori object for learning. We as human beings learn through our physical senses and that's the thing about books is that the physical books are difficult to replace, and turn everything digital, if you want the same educational outcomes for children.
That's why children who own books, and who have access to books are likely to have these bigger economic benefits later on down the line. Because it's very hard to replicate that.
"We need to get it out of our heads that physical books are an old-fashioned thing, because for children of the most disadvantaged communities it's a very modern need. They need that to compete, they need that to 'level up'".
The "How to Train your Dragon" author said the project also involves lobbying the government to ringfence £100m of funding to invest in libraries and reading provisions in primary schools, after it was revealed that council's throughout the country have almost halved their spending on public libraries in the last 10 years.
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