Stowupland High School unveils new library with 6,500 books following RAAC discovery

A secondary school in Suffolk has opened its new library following the discovery of a lightweight form of concrete, known as RAAC, last year.

The library at Stowupland High School, near Stowmarket, was forced to close last September when reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was found — leading to the closure of 17 learning spaces and temporary buildings installed to accommodate students.

Now, the newly opened library space is home to 6,500 books and students have volunteered to become ‘library technicians’ to help organise bookshelves and keep displays looking tidy.

Samuel Evemy, a library technician from Year 9, said: “I love books and a library is full of them – it’s just such a nice quiet place to sit and read.

“It can expand your vocabulary, teach you a lot about the world and is great for things like spelling and grammar.

“It gives you creative ideas and fuels your imagination.

“When you work here, you are giving back to the place you love.”

The new library is in the school’s learning village constructed on site as work continues to repair the areas of the school affected by RAAC.

Angie Shaw, the school’s librarian, began her role at Stowupland High just days before the RAAC issue was uncovered.

In the meantime, she had been running a book club in a classroom using trolleys of books from the old library.

She said: “It’s brilliant to have a permanent library again – it’s amazing how many books in different subjects we have here.

“It’s been so nice getting them all in one place, cleaning them and seeing what we have.

“I’m really looking forward to getting the students in and showing them the books we have and the fascinating things they can learn.

“My library technicians have been amazing, helping me organise the books and display them on the shelves. They are so excited and enthusiastic.”

Principal Lee Walker added: “The new library space will be a hub for learning at the school, helping to instil a lifelong love of reading in our students.

“Thank you to our wonderful library technicians who have volunteered their time to this important project.”