Young bookworms in Ipswich get £4,000 book bonanza thanks to National Highways

Schools in Suffolk are beginning to benefit from more than £4,000 worth of books, dictionaries and other resources thanks to the National Highways social value fund

Two primary schools close to the A14 in Ipswich - where maintenance work has been carried out - were awarded a total of £4,419.25 to help pay for new literature and learning tools.

Sproughton Primary School was handed £1,904.25 while Bramford Primary School was given £2,518. Both schools are within a short distance of the project between junctions 52 and 55 aimed at future-proofing the road surface with a new concrete surface.

Kevin Barry, National Highways Project Manager, oversaw the scheme on the A14 and applied for the funding.

He said: “This is the perfect example of how we and our supply chain can help the communities close to where we are carrying out or work and we are pleased to help out in the way we have.

“Sproughton Primary School has already seen an improvement in the learning of their pupils while Bramford Primary School have been able to give vital tools to their children by way of dictionaries and thesauruses.”

Jane Stalham, Headteacher of Sproughton Church of England Primary School, said:

“We are extremely grateful for the generous funding from National Highways which has had a significant and lasting impact on reading at our school. The funding enabled us to purchase a wide range of individual reading books for our children.

“All of our pupils now have a book they can take home and enjoy, which has transformed their experience of reading. Previously, children were using e-readers, but having real books has been a huge success. pupils themselves tell us how much better it is, and parents have expressed their delight that their children are enjoying books rather than more screen time.”

The school had already seen a vast improvement in its academic performance. It has also helped children who previously found reading challenging. They are now making accelerated progress, and the attainment gap is beginning to close.

Jane Stalham added: “Pupils in every year group are also benefitting through a fluency intervention programme; made possible by the books we purchased.

“We would like to sincerely thank National Highways for this funding. It has not only boosted attainment but also fostered a genuine love of reading across our school community.”

Key Stage 1 Phase Leader at Bramford Primary School Mrs Sawyer said:

“We are grateful for our dictionaries and thesauruses. The children have already begun using them in their English lessons and enjoyed having new resources to develop their writing, reading and vocabulary.”

This funding came as part of National Highways’ Community Legacy Fund which helps to create positive change through its work. By integrating community legacy work into daily operations and collaborating with its supply chain, the company National Highways ensures that every project maximizes positive impact.The four key themes of social value are economic prosperity, environmental improvement, community wellbeing and equality, diversity and inclusion.

For more information about the National Highways Community Legacy Fund and Social Value click here