Funding success


is mainly set aside as reading space, with some of the original seats and a laptop borrowing system set up in the old driver’s seat. To build further excitement and


incentivise our pupils in their learning, we announced that the children who showed the most progress in each year group would be the first on the bus when it arrived. We also ran a competition to name the bus, where pupils could donate £1 to submit an entry. The winning name was pulled out of a hat during a whole school assembly, and the library bus is now called “The Big Read Bus”. The pupils were amazed and


companies: Capita SIMS, InVentry, Deane Computer Solutions, Ryman Education and RS Assessment. We sent out a letter to parents


to keep them informed of what was happening and encourage them to keep the buzz of the project going. I decided to do my bit by running my first marathon (Manchester Marathon). With sponsorship from parents, school staff, family and friends, I raised £650. In total, we raised more than


£11,500 over 12 months. The project itself took 18 months to complete. The process involved purchasing an old double-decker bus and decommissioning it. We then had to strip out the interior before installing shelving, electrics and air-conditioning. Fortunately, several local and


national companies (Bosch Rexroth,


‘We wanted to keep the look and feel of a real bus so that a visit to the library would be like the beginning


of an adventurous journey’


Hercules Construction, Aggregate Industries, Kevin Messenger General Builders and Barnes Coaches) not only donated to the project financially, but they were also able to provide skilled workers to complete the works at no cost. We wanted to keep the look


and feel of a real bus so that a visit to the library would be like the beginning of an adventurous journey. On the top deck of the bus, we installed bookshelves and set up a bean bag seating area where the back row used to be. The lower deck


delighted when they first saw their finished library. They have since been very keen to go out of the classroom and read on the bus every day. While we have noticed an improvement in our reading data, especially among boys, the passion for reading across all pupils has been the biggest noticeable difference. We had approached David


Walliams to do an official opening in front of the whole school and all the companies that supported us, but this has had to be put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. News of the success of our project has spread though, and we have been contacted by St Werburghs Primary School in Bristol and Heron Primary School in Gloucester as they would like to begin similar projects as a result of seeing the success of our bus!’ Kevin Parker, school business manager, Ann Edwards CofE Primary School, Cirencester, Gloucestershire (262 pupils)


FundEd AUTUMN 2020 7


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