'˜Booking' the trend...Dewsbury school turns old computer room into new library

A school is going back to educational basics after converting an old computer room into a library.
The pupils enjoying their new library.The pupils enjoying their new library.
The pupils enjoying their new library.

While books can often be ditched in favour of tablets and laptops in some schools, Bywell Junior School in Dewsbury is keen to stress the importance of traditional learning techniques.

With more than 1,000 new books stacked on its new shelves, headteacher Zaheda Adam admits it has been a dream of hers to open a quiet reading room at the Bendigo Road school.

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She said: “It used to be an ICT suite but everything has gone mobile now so that space was no longer needed.

Newspaper: Dewsbury Reporter Series.
Story: A new school library has opened at Bywell Junior school, Dewsbury.
Pictured using the library is Year 3 pupil Victoria.
Reporter: Nick Frame.
Photographer: Andrew Bellis
email: andrewbellisphotography@gmail.com
Twitter: @SnapperAndrewB
Mobile: 07885 426 523
Photo date: 26/04/17
Picture ref: AB117b0417Newspaper: Dewsbury Reporter Series.
Story: A new school library has opened at Bywell Junior school, Dewsbury.
Pictured using the library is Year 3 pupil Victoria.
Reporter: Nick Frame.
Photographer: Andrew Bellis
email: andrewbellisphotography@gmail.com
Twitter: @SnapperAndrewB
Mobile: 07885 426 523
Photo date: 26/04/17
Picture ref: AB117b0417
Newspaper: Dewsbury Reporter Series. Story: A new school library has opened at Bywell Junior school, Dewsbury. Pictured using the library is Year 3 pupil Victoria. Reporter: Nick Frame. Photographer: Andrew Bellis email: [email protected] Twitter: @SnapperAndrewB Mobile: 07885 426 523 Photo date: 26/04/17 Picture ref: AB117b0417

“We need to instil a love of reading for out children and having a library will go some way to supporting that.

“I’m just so excited for the children.

“I remember growing up and the library being my world, to lose yourself in a book in a calm and quiet environment is amazing.

“Hopefully our children will have that experience now.

Newspaper: Dewsbury Reporter Series.
Story: A new school library has opened at Bywell Junior school, Dewsbury.
Pictured using the library is Year 3 pupil Victoria.
Reporter: Nick Frame.
Photographer: Andrew Bellis
email: andrewbellisphotography@gmail.com
Twitter: @SnapperAndrewB
Mobile: 07885 426 523
Photo date: 26/04/17
Picture ref: AB117b0417Newspaper: Dewsbury Reporter Series.
Story: A new school library has opened at Bywell Junior school, Dewsbury.
Pictured using the library is Year 3 pupil Victoria.
Reporter: Nick Frame.
Photographer: Andrew Bellis
email: andrewbellisphotography@gmail.com
Twitter: @SnapperAndrewB
Mobile: 07885 426 523
Photo date: 26/04/17
Picture ref: AB117b0417
Newspaper: Dewsbury Reporter Series. Story: A new school library has opened at Bywell Junior school, Dewsbury. Pictured using the library is Year 3 pupil Victoria. Reporter: Nick Frame. Photographer: Andrew Bellis email: [email protected] Twitter: @SnapperAndrewB Mobile: 07885 426 523 Photo date: 26/04/17 Picture ref: AB117b0417

“It’s a key life skill to learn and in this age of technology, which is still important, we have to keep the right balance.”

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The library was opened last week with a special ceremony involving a visit from the mayor of Kirklees Council, Councillor Jim Dodds and children’s author Tom Palmer.

Mrs Adam added: “This project has been in the planning, in my head anyway, for a long time but it’s taken about 12 months for the work to get to this point.

“We’ve always had facilities to lend the pupils books and every class had it’s own shelf but this is a special place just designed for reading.

“It’s just beautiful and the children absolutely love it, they all had a say in which books they wanted in there.

“The student council went round every class asking what they would like.

“It’s full of books they wanted so it will hopefully motivate them to take them out.”