Rolph C of E Primary School recently hosted an opening ceremony for their new school library bus.
Along with the school’s PTA, Rolph School Association (RSA), the school hosted the event on Tuesday, April 25, in Thorpe.
Just one year on from the idea being conceived, the school and the RSA were able to source, site, decommission, decorate, and furnish an old double-decker bus and transform it into a library for the school.
Executive Headteacher, Karen Jones, said: “I visited a school in London as part of a review and saw how effectively they utilised their available space.
“I approached the RSA to support us in fundraising for the project and the Clacton Jubilee Rotary Club also expressed interest in supporting us.
“I presented our plan and the library bus idea grew from there. The club kindly funded the bus for us and had it decommissioned.
“It was really important to keep the integrity of the bus. I had seen conversions that ripped out the whole interior, but we wanted the children to be excited about reading on a bus that still looked like a bus on the inside.
“We are trying to promote a love of reading and get the children excited about reading in a unique space. The children will visit on a rota and will be able to get a bus ticket stamped when they ‘ride’ the bus.
“We are very lucky to have a community that works together on projects like this.”
A spokeswoman from the RSA said: “None of this would have been possible without the support from and the help of the Rotary Club of Clacton Jubilee, the Rotary Club of Frinton-on-sea, the Rotary Club of Clacton Tendring Travel and Thorpe Festival Trust.”
What a fantastic idea and project! We love to hear stories of how communities and schools work together to provide local school children with unique learning experiences.