Story Sacks at Wollescote Primary School

Few families access public libraries and a significant number of mothers do not read English, relying on older siblings or relatives to teach reading skills to their children.

The school has recently introduced a successful play and stay programme for mothers with young children. This programme targets mothers with little or no English and supports them with both their understanding of English and identifying how they can help their child with speaking, listening and readiness for reading.

The Club has been working with the school, to establish a Story Sack library, for parents attending play and stay provision.

The Rotary Club of Stourbridge has been awarded a grant from Rotary International for £250 to support the Story Sack project, a further £250 has been added from the Club.

A Story Sack is a large cloth bag, containing a high quality picture book with supporting activities and materials to bring the story to life, which do not rely on the ability to read English. These materials or resources include puppets, sort toys of the main characters, artefacts relating to items in the story and picture, letter or word recognition games.

Once established, parent’s 50p weekly donation to play and stay provision will enable any replenishment of resources due to wear and tear.

To buy each story sack fully equipped costs £50. The story sack library requires 10 story sacks.

Stourbridge Rotary Club has been involved with Wollescote Primary School since 2011, and has an active Young Rotarians club with over 20 members at any one time.

The Club has supported the school with raising aspirations for children and parents and community

engagement through several projects and include -

• Funds to establish reading for pleasure book corners in the classrooms to encourage a love for reading

• Visits to Birmingham City  University to find out who goes to a university

• Visit to Symphony Hall to hear classical musicians

• Rotary Club lunches to meet with Rotarians

• Young Rotarian Award

The Young Rotarians have fund raised over the past two years for

Disaster relief boxes, Shelter  Box , Birmingham Children’s Hospital and the Local Foodbank.

President Andrew Scudamore  said 'The Rotary Club of Stourbridge  is proud to continue to support education  at the school, helping to make a real difference  and support ‘Young Rotarians’ in their fundraising  efforts, in the local community.'