Bigland Green cuts the ribbon to open its new school library for the children of Shadwell

A campaign by parents to get children in Tower Hamlets reading early has led to a new school library being opened at Shadwell’s Bigland Green Primary.

The ribbon was cut yesterday by the vice chair of school governors Barbara Patilla.

The idea of developing the library was started by a group of parents to make reading more exciting, fun and raise standards into the bargain. Developing a library became part of the school’s improvement plan.

One parent was even taken on in September as part-time librarian to organise the project with a senior staff member. Pupils were given the task of suggesting ideas and came up with a plan costing £65,000 to replace most of the books in the old library which were very old, from the time of the USSR!

The costs were worked out at £40,000 needed to buy books and £25,000 to convert a room and buy furniture.

But instead, the school’s premises manager John Anderson, a highly skilled craftsman in his own right, took on the challenge to develop the room at a fraction of the cost asked for by contractors. That saved the school money. He got the pupils to provide ideas and put in his own touches.

Teachers also went to Birmingham on two occasions to buy books from a Midlands wholesaler to save more cash.

The whole project has been completed with half of the projected cost and has been opened on time before half term.