Library

Profile of the Department

The Library is provided to support staff and students in their learning and to promote a reading culture throughout the school.  The Library has a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, online resources, ebooks, Teaching & Learning packs, magazines, newspapers, audio books, DVDs and board games, all chosen to supplement and support the curriculum. There is also access to computers, an Interactive Whiteboard, a Printer/Copier and an Audio-visual Room.

We have online catalogues which are accessible throughout the school and from home to help students and staff find the resources they need wherever they are.

Resource Provision

The Library has over 16,000 books, and a catalogue of 10,000 specially chosen websites, plus ebooks and e-text books available to classes.

DVDs and audio books are available for use in the library, as are a wide selection of magazines and newspapers, which both support the curriculum and engage the students' interest.

Students regularly receive a Library Bulletin with the latest Library news, competitions, and reviews; keeping students up-to-date with all the newest Library resources and upcoming events. 

Readers' Club

The Library's Readers' Club is a club for the school's most avid readers. It gives students the forum to discuss, debate and review books, and enables them to guide their own reading with the help of their peers. The students participate in group reading projects which culminate in special events such as cinema or theatre trips, or Film Night in the Library.

The Readers' Club also publishes a regular newsletter - First Page for staff and students, which is filled with their reviews, interviews and competitions.

Homework Club

Everyday after school the Library holds a Homework Club open to all students until 5pm. Students can get assistance with homework, coursework and revision from our Homework Club teachers and make use of Library resources. A Librarian is on hand to help with research and assist students in using the Library.

Competitions & Events

The Library regularly runs very popular competitions which tie in with current, and significant literary events. These competitions are open to all year groups, and the Library awards prizes for winning entries.

The Library holds fabulous events every term, promoting literacy and embracing the school's strong reading culture. We have

• an annual 'Roald Dahl Day Celebration' held in September to welcome our incoming Year 7 students;
• Fundraisers included: an Alice in Wonderland Fundraiser for the RNIB where students ran stalls including, facepainting, lucky dip, raffle and delicious cale sale to raise money for the blind;
• Book Week Murder in the Library, supporting the English Departments Secret Cinema;
• October Scary Book Quiz, had students on a whole variety of literature from Vampire Diaries to Mary Shelley; 
• author visits - most recently the fantastic Cathy Cassidy insipred our students to create and signed copies of her new book Summer's Dream.