The Library is at the heart of the school
The Library is one of the places students come to meet with their friends, get support with homework, find resources to support their learning, get advice on what to read next, take part in the variety of activities on offer, including chess and other board games, creative writing, or contributing to the Library by being a Library Monitor.
What goes on in the Library?
The Library is well used during lesson times when teachers bring groups of students in to use the resources. All Key Stage 3 students enjoy a fortnightly English lesson in the Library, when they have an opportunity to read their choice of book for pleasure. Teachers may book the Library to use as a teaching base, valuing the flexibility of having computers and an interactive board as well as relevant books. Sixth Form students use the Library for supervised study periods or independent research, and have a dedicated range of books to support reading for pleasure, their A Level studies and to prepare them for University interviews.
We have enjoyed many visits from authors and have a virtual visit organised in April with Tom Palmer, an award-winning author. We are also making plans for an in-person visit from Julian Sedgwick.
The Reading Challenge takes place in the Library twice a week during Registration. This is where trained Year 9 and 10 Reading Coaches help Year 7 students who may be struggling with their reading, and the progress the Year 7s make as a result is testament to the success of this scheme.
The Extended Project Qualification is offered in the Library to 6th Formers. This highly-regarded qualification gives them the skills they will be using for degree-level study and can lead to a lower grade offer from many top Universities if they achieve the highest grades in the EPQ. The course has been running since 2014 and, so far, every student who has completed it has achieved A*/A grades.
I liaise with the organisation ‘Speakers for Schools’ and we have benefitted in the past from a visit by entrepreneur Stanley Jackson, who gave an inspirational talk about aspiring to succeed to Year 9 students. We were also thrilled that Sir Peter Bazalgette, Chair of Arts Council (England) visited our 6th Form to address our students. More recently, Will Lawes, an eminent Corporate Lawyer and Financial/Asset Management Chief Executive, visited our 6th Formers, Business Studies students and Years 10/11 Scholars.
Alex Steward, BA(Hons), DipRSA, AClip
Library Manager
