Funded by the school's PTA and situated between the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 playgrounds, the Reading Shed was born from a desire to promote reading for pleasure and ensure that every child has easy access to books during breaktimes and beyond. The space will also be available to families, allowing parents and carers to borrow books to share and enjoy at home with their children.

The school celebrated the opening yesterday with a special visit from renowned children's author Camilla Reid, who officially opened the shed and marked the launch of her new book, I Am Ready For School, which is dedicated to Wantage CE Primary School.

During the event, Camilla read the story to children preparing to join Reception in September, helping to build excitement and confidence ahead of their first days at school.

Written in response to growing national conversations around school readiness, I Am Ready For School helps families explore the simple but important skills children need to thrive in school, including curiosity, independence and self-care. Written in Camilla's warm and familiar style and illustrated by Kate Hindley, the book has already been endorsed by teachers and early years specialists.

The Reading Shed reflects the school's commitment to creating opportunities for every child to discover the joy of reading and develop a lifelong love of books.

Andy Browne, Headteacher at Wantage CE Primary School, said:

"The Reading Shed is about opening up opportunities for every child to enjoy books whenever inspiration strikes. We want reading to be at the heart of school life and are hugely grateful to our PTA for helping bring this vision to life."

Richard Evans, Chief Executive of Cambrian Learning Trust, said:

"Reading has the power to inspire minds, spark curiosity and change lives. This wonderful new space captures exactly what we stand for as a Trust, creating opportunities for every child to grow, flourish and fulfil their potential."

Author Camilla Reid said:

"Sharing books and stories at home has a powerful effect on children’s development and it sets them up to thrive in school. But the most important thing of all is that it forges the bond between parent and child and it’s this that gives kids the solid foundations of confidence and security from which everything else grows. I’m delighted to be asked to open Wantage CE's Reading Shed - it’s a brilliant initiative, and has the potential to be life-changing for families".

The event reflected Wantage CE Primary School's vision of 'Learning for Life – Learn, Inspire, Flourish, Enjoy' and Cambrian Learning Trust's commitment to nurturing growth and inspiring minds through enriching opportunities for every pupil.