20 Oct Mobile library outreach bus inspires pupils in Latchingdon
Pupils at Latchingdon Church of England Primary School received a visit from the Essex Mobile Library’s Outreach Bus this week, as part of ongoing efforts to help children in Essex discover a lifelong love of reading.
The visit was supported by the Essex Year of Reading campaign and is part of a new outreach library service for Essex schools.
The £1million campaign was created by the Essex Education Task Force to support children and young people whose education was affected by the pandemic. It is funded by Essex County Council.
Under the campaign, every Essex pupil was given a free library card earlier this year to ensure they had access to reading materials and to help boost their reading levels.
The outreach bus took a wide range of books and activated pupil’s library cards so that they access everything the county’s libraries have to offer.
Unlike the school library service, which lends books to schools, the new outreach service lends the books directly to each child. Books can be returned either to the outreach bus or to any library in Essex.
Cllr Tony Ball, Essex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Skills and Employability, said: “Reading is a key skill that can unlock access to lots of other areas of education and opportunities for pupils, particularly as they grow.
“We have always been very clear with the Essex Year of Reading that every child would have the opportunity to get involved and be able to discover a lifelong love of reading. By working with the Essex Library Service and bringing reading materials to children who, for many different reasons, may not be able to visit a library outside of school, we are able to achieve that.”
Cllr Louise McKinlay, Essex County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member with responsibility for Libraries, said: “Our Essex Libraries provide a valuable service to communities. We believe that libraries are for everyone and no matter where you are in the county, you should be able to access them.
“Reading is a vital skill and with our mobile libraries and outreach bus, we can make sure that every child and young person has access to this important service and can benefit from the opportunities that come with being able to read well.”
Victoria Peacock, Deputy Head Teacher, Latchingdon Church of England Primary School said: “It was wonderful to have the Library Outreach service visiting our school. Many of our children live in remote areas and never have the opportunity to visit a library, they were so excited to see the vast range of books available to them. This will really help to foster a passion for reading and support all of the work that we are doing at school.”
