By Medha Godbole Singh
Recently, Moreland Primary School in Islington, London was abuzz with excitement. Her Majesty Queen Camilla, the patron of the school, opened Moreland Primary School’s new library to mark the first anniversary of the 2023 Coronation. Moreland’s new library is the fiftieth in a special series of primary school libraries transformed and the 1,000th as part of the Libraries for Primaries campaign. This campaign is being undertaken as part of the celebration of the 2023 Coronation.
The changed face of Moreland Primary’s library has been made possible with funding and volunteering assistance from Bloomberg. To ignite a love for reading among children and to create a safe and conducive space for that, the volunteers assisted the teachers at Moreland Primary. The new-look library has nature-themed furnishings with toadstool seats and a treehouse reading nook. Her Majesty also unveiled the commemorative Coronation Library plaque.
The new, reinvigorated library features 300 new books that reflect the children’s backgrounds and interests. It also includes the Chase Coronation Collection, comprising the best twenty-three children’s books voted for by UK primary school children to celebrate the 2023 Coronation.
The day also witnessed Her Majesty, storyteller Alim Kamara, ten reading ambassadors from Moreland Primary School and twenty pupil librarians from local Libraries for Primaries schools participating in a lively and interactive storytelling session exploring themes of perseverance and resilience.
Apart from the addition to the number of books and transformation of the space, two teachers have been equipped with requisite training to manage the library. They have also been given the responsibility to champion and inspire reading activities for the school. The teachers will be supported by two enthusiastic reading ambassadors from every class for the reading activities.
Her Majesty also discussed the future of the campaign and the steps needed to achieve its aim of all primary schools in the UK having a dedicated library or library space by 2028 at a roundtable meeting. Attending the roundtable meeting were the Headteacher Catherine Lawrence, Libraries for Primaries partners and author ambassadors.
Speaking about the entire event, the Headteacher at Moreland Primary School stated that “Access to books at home is limited for many of our children; this new library gives families the opportunity to share the joy of books together, regardless of their background or circumstance.”
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