Learning Resource Centre
The Library aims to be:
- A calm, creative and inspiring learning space
- A place to work quietly
- A place to read for pleasure and find new reading inspiration
- A space to prepare for the day
The Library & its Facilities
The Main Library houses our ever-growing fiction and non-fiction book collections with titles suitable for readers of all levels and abilities – from the most reluctant to the most avid. There is space for quiet reading and for small groups to work together, along with our comfy sofas, beanbags and window seats. Students are encouraged to make themselves comfortable when they are reading as it has been scientifically proven that engagement in reading is heightened if students have choice in where they read.
Fiction:
Our fiction collection is designed to inspire and challenge all our readers to try new authors or genres and includes new titles, contemporary and classic fiction. There are also separate sections for our Young Adult collection (KS4 titles), Manga and Graphic Novels, Sport fiction and non-fiction and a small MFL fiction and poetry collection to support those students who wish to read their favourite books in other languages. There are also a number of magazines and comics in the library for students to dip into as well.
The Millennium Collection of classics is also available for loan in the library and used by students who want to stretch and challenge themselves and experience literature from literary giants such as Dostoevsky, Shakespeare, Chekov and Tolstoy.
Non-Fiction:
The non-fiction section is currently being updated to ensure that the resources it contains are relevant to the needs of the current curriculum as well as general interest titles. This means the quality of the information is the best available and students are well-equipped to complete homework and class research projects
The Library supports the Accelerated Reader (AR) programme so the vast majority of the fiction collection and a growing number of non-fiction resources can be quizzed on AR.
Careers:
There are also copies of the latest local college prospectuses and application forms as well as a small collection of Careers Books. The Careers Room houses the main Careers resources.
The Computer Zone:
There are 27 computers so students can do homework, undertake research and check their school emails as well as send work to their teachers. The computers are available at all social times but to ensure equal access to the computers at lunchtime, Computer Passes are required for use. There are a number of passes available for every year group and these passes are available in the Library at Break for students to collect to allow them access at lunchtime.
The Computer Zone also houses an especially curated Teaching Resource collection to aid teacher development.
Staff:
Librarian/LRC Manager: Mrs Debra Godrich BA(Hons) DipIM MCILIP
Our Librarian/LRC Manager has been qualified for over 25 years and has over 30 years of experience in a variety of library sectors. She brings with her a plethora of reading and literacy skills along with a passion to create a whole school reading community.
Working with her are a team of dedicated and highly trained student librarians, who are on hand to help students with homework, reading enquiries and help the library run smoothly during busy social sessions.
Opening Hours:
The Library is open from 8.20 every morning for students to finish homework, complete AR quizzes, read and generally prepare for their day.
Closing:
Monday to Wednesday: 3.50pm
Thursday (to accommodate Period 6): 4.50pm
Friday: 3.35pm
Enrichment and Activities:
Homework club runs every day before school and after school every day except Wednesday, with teaching support twice a week after school. Wednesday lunchtime is KS4 Revision only in order to help them prepare for their exams in a calm, quiet environment, when they will have access to specific resources to help them revise as well as look after their mental and physical well-being during this most stressful time. Also, there are weekly drop-in sessions in January and February with representatives from local colleges to answer enquiries from KS4 students regarding applying for college and there are also apprenticeship application drop-ins over this period so students can consult with the experts in how to apply for apprenticeships.
Other Enrichment activities in the Library include the fortnightly Craft Club, where students make decorative items from discarded books, and the fortnightly Quiz Team training session. We have taken part in the National Reading Champions Quiz for the last 2 years and our success is growing. Students who love quizzing as well as reading have fun testing each other on their book knowledge.
The Library also hosts many other events throughout the year. One of the most popular is the annual Grand House Quiz to celebrate International Harry Potter Day with teams of students and staff battling it out to win the coveted House Cup. Other events this year have included our very successful World Book Day Starbooks Café; the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Anniversary celebrations with a design a chocolate bar competition, judged by a real-life Willy Wonka chocolate maker, and a Golden Ticket Hunt; the Elf on the Library Shelf and Christmas Quizzes; the Hunt for Roger, the Reading Rabbit at Easter and lots more.
Loans and Reservations:
Students can loan up to 2 books at any time for a period of 4 weeks. This allows for at least 1 Accelerated Reader to be loaned by Year 7 and 8 as well as a reading for pleasure book. These books can be renewed twice. Items can be reserved and soon students will be able to check the Library catalogue via a Reading Cloud link on Firefly and reserve books from there. Year 7 & 8 all have a Reading for Pleasure lesson once a fortnight where they have the opportunity to browse the library shelves to find their latest must read or dive into a new author or genre. The Librarian supports all of the lessons so she is on hand to use her expert knowledge of current children’s literature to make recommendations based on the individual student’s reading level and abilities and their wider likes and interests.
The Librarian is also available for Year 9-11 to recommend titles to those students who want to improve their reading and challenge themselves.
