TO celebrate the 25th anniversary of World Book Day, Orsett Church of England Primary School in Thurrock created an Amazon Wishlist of books that they were hoping to add to their library shelves over the coming weeks.
The list started relatively small, with a collection of culturally diverse books that the school were eager to introduce to the children as part of their extra-curricular reading, and was sent out to parents with the option for them to donate a book should they wish to get involved.
Over the course of the next few days, the school was flooded with donations, with children opening over 80 packages containing books from the wishlist, which staff had been adding to each day as the demand to donate continued to grow.
James Dickson, Deputy Headteacher at Orsett Church of England Primary School, said “We’ve wanted to refresh our library book selection for a while, and I thought about creating a simple ‘wishlist’ on Amazon of great quality books for all ages that would develop understanding and experience of diversity in our modern culture. I shared the wishlist with our community and we were overwhelmed by the support and donations. We’ve received two years’ worth of books in just two weeks, which has been fantastic!”
Gemma Smith, Headteacher at Orsett Church of England Primary School, said “We have been absolutely blown away by the generosity of our school and local community. What started out as a small idea to celebrate reading and expand our library has grown beyond belief. This shows what a difference a community can make together. Thank you to anyone who donated – we are so very appreciative.”
Emma Wigmore, CEO of the Vine Schools Trust, said “As a Trust, we are keen to ensure that all of our schools are culturally diversifying their curriculum in order to promote inclusivity and open-mindedness. It is fantastic to see the whole community coming together to support the promotion of cultural diversity by generously donating an incredible variety of books that represent a wider authorship.”
