Turning Over A New Leaf in Literacy

As part of the new garden design at Ilsham Academy, the headteacher Jake Grinsill asked if there could be a reading area incorporated into the grounds. We had a look at some ideas that other schools had started to use and there were some great projects being built with outdoor sheds that had bean bags and books so children could sit and read.

I liked some of the projects that we had looked at but I didn’t think they were big enough. The smaller sheds would mean that only a couple of children at a time could use the area and I wanted to see an area where lots of children could sit and read in a really bright, inviting and inspirational area that was spacious and airy. I also wanted something that could be just left open and used at break times and for whole classes to use during reading and phonics times.

So, this is what I came up with:

This structure is built on layers of decking at different heights so children can sit outside and inside. The walls are supposed to look like pages of a book and we can decorate the pages with the words from the favourite books of the children. There is a notice board outside that can have good news added to it each week. There is even a height chart so the children can see how tall they are getting!

I know it will be a little while yet before we see this design come to life, as the garden needs to be built first, but I am particularly excited about this one.

I will keep you updated on progress

Pauline

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