SCHOOL LIBRARIES
The heart of
a good school
School libraries
at Sheringham is rated by Ofsted as one of the top 32 Ms Davis added: “Sometimes they get more automatically take to something. New ideas keep their
in the country. They were noted as being excellent for enjoyment in talking to other students than to members attention,” Ms Robertson explained.
add value and
their facilities and working practice. of staff. It’s great because they increase their range of Woodrush is part of the Worcester Children’s Book
How did they achieve this accolade? First, Ms Davis reading and they build friendships.” Group. This means for an annual cost of just £20 they
had a hand in designing the library when it was rebuilt As well as encouraging reading for pleasure, one of receive author visits, or go on trips to other schools to
needn’t break
eight years ago. This was thanks to a head who values the main purposes of the school library is to develop a see authors. So far this term they have seen Jonathan
the library and Ms Davis’s ideas. Many libraries built student’s ability to learn independently. It is essential that Stroud, Ian Beck and Celia Rees.
the bank. Laura
into new schools and academies are little more than they know how to use a library, and the books within, Ms Robertson continued: “When Celia Rees visited
an afterthought, and planned by people who do not effectively to be able to conduct meaningful research. the school we got so much out of the day. We took the
Yates reports
understand how the space could be used. Ms Davis has countless strategies to demonstrate opportunity to involve parents by making it a ‘mums and
Sheringham has an immense amount of resources. the use of printed materials to students. For example, daughters’ occasion. Lots of mums turned up and went
“Book stock is currently around 11,000, and there isn’t whenever a class comes to use the library computers, onto enjoy sharing the book with their daughters. In fact,
one book that you’d pick up that you wouldn’t want to she always puts a box of relevant books within easy over 40 copies of her books were sold on the day.”
HE SCHOOL library is an endangered read,” Ms Davis continued. “Every book is appealing; not reach. They use it, surprised at how much of the This demonstrates the point that reading excerpts
T
species – rarely a week goes by old or tatty. We achieve this by spending wisely, choosing information they’re looking for is contained in the from books does not automatically encourage a student
without a closure or a budget being books carefully, and making sure we get bargains.” books. Under her guidance, they then look on the to go and read the whole story. An extract from Witch
slashed. The two librarians work with other local schools, shelves for further printed material. Child by Celia Rees is studied as part of the English
However, libraries and learning or such as Gresham Public School, to acquire new Independent learning and research is especially curriculum, but it was the engaging with the author,
resource centres should be at the heart resources. Gresham either gives surplus books or swaps important in further education. BTEC and 6th formers other students and the wider community that instantly
of every single school spiritually and popular books with them. have research-orientated lessons. Students learn how resulted in the desire to read.
educationally. Why? The answer, says Alan Gibbons, The Sheringham school library attracts sponsorship to create accurate bibliographies by using www. “When reading becomes special, when it is shared
award-winning children’s author and front-man for from the Freemasons, the John Gerald Trust and local neilstoolbox.com and by being tutored by Ms Davis. with other people – authors, parents, visitors to their
“The Campaign for The Book”, is simple: reading businesses. This funding has been secured thanks to She also teaches them how to compare sources, a skill school – it becomes an event, it becomes exciting and
for pleasure is the single biggest factor in literary the networking skills of the library staff. Not only does essential when they move onto higher education. relevant. Whole stories broaden their minds so much
achievement. more than having to elucidate meaning from chunks of
The Campaign for The Book is a group dedicated text,” Ms Robertson added.
to defending school and public libraries and raising the
profile of reading for pleasure in schools.
Mr Gibbons says that embedding reading and
research skills across the curriculum is the key to
raising aspirations and attainment. “Ask any English
teacher in school and they’ll tell you,” he explained, ‘
While money is the life blood of many
Students at Woodrush are also shown how to use the
library and the resources inside to research and learn on
their own. The school stands out because it only has
projects, there are staff in libraries who put their
five computers in the library, which means that students
learn that books are at least equal to computers when it
“the students who work harder, behave better, and show
heart and soul into their work to give children
comes to looking for information.
Ms Robertson is always on hand in the library to
more of an interest in lessons are readers.”
Put simply, a student who struggles with literacy the encouragement and guidance that is so
advise on where to find books. Also, she regularly
sends topic boxes of books out to subject areas for
will find it difficult to access the curriculum and this students to use whenever they are needed.
in turn could spark behaviour issues. Libraries and
vital on their reading journey
“The history department recently did a project on
librarians are seen by many as an essential tool in ‘decades’,” Ms Robertson told me. “For this I was able
winning the hearts and minds of students and encourage to send them a massive array of books that contained
them to read. information on people, inventions, discoveries and
But as true as this may be, with finances the way gaining outside support ensure that students have plenty Another school library where good things are events that have happened over the past century.
they are how can schools invest the amount needed? of fresh reading material, but it also strengthens links happening is that of The Woodr
’
ush High School near Students used these to find information, copy pictures
The Chartered Institute for Library and Information across the community. Birmingham. It serves around 1,100 students including and make displays.”
Professionals (CILIP) recommends that schools spend However, it is not about relying on the benevolence 6th form and is run by qualified librarian Jenny Book use is embedded across the school, and the
£14.17 per pupil, per year on the library, not including of other organisations; it is the constant stream of new Robertson. library has a prominent place in every child’s learning.
money spent on text books – a hefty amount by ideas and the librarians’ infectious appetite for books Ms Robertson has an impressive array of library Each tutor group gets at least two registration periods in
anyone’s standards. Indeed, a large number of school that attracts students to the library in their droves. experience. Since the age of 16 she has worked in the library per half-term, where they are shown new books
librarians have a total budget of below £2,000, and Author visits are an invaluable way of stirring public, junior, secondary and college libraries and has and chat to each other about what they are reading.
there are some with less than half that figure. up student interest, but can be a costly exercise. even worked at Jaguar in their company library. Perhaps one of the reasons that both Ms Davis and
However, while money is the life blood of many By building relationships with publishing houses and When she began working in schools she noticed Ms Robertson achieve so much is because they are
projects, there are staff in libraries who put their booksellers, Sheringham secures various visits from that the emphasis had been taken away from reading fully qualified librarians – but they are in a minority.
heart and soul into their work to give children the authors. They also share the expense of author visits for pleasure, with excerpts from books being studied Less than a third of schools employ a fully qualified
encouragement and guidance that is so vital on their with other schools by either hosting the event and instead of whole stories. This contextualisation can librarian. They may do great things on a low budget but
reading journey. having other students come in, or going out to visit erode a child’s enjoyment because it does not cultivate the point perhaps remains that they should not have to.
Kate Davis and her assistant Alex Steward are two other schools. a love of books. Mr Gibbons insists that there must be a national,
such people. Ms Davis is a fully qualified librarian and Twice a term, book boxes are circulated around When she took over four years ago, Ms Robertson cohesive strategy to raise standards and foster a love of
manages the learning centre and library at Sheringham all of the tutor groups. They contain a huge variety of wanted to foster a reading culture at Woodrush and to reading from cradle to university.
High School in Norfolk. fiction and non-fiction books, which caters for the very increase the use of the library. She has accomplished “Libraries must be made statutory, be well funded
She explained: “It would be lovely to have the kind mixed abilities in the vertically structured groups. The this despite swimming against the tide of a falling and staffed by a fully qualified librarian, and have a
of budget that CILIP recommends, but we live in the real books are read, shared and discussed whenever there is budget. good balance of IT facilities and books. It is a disgrace
world, and at the moment it’s just not going to happen. a free moment. Like the library staff at Sheringham, she attracts that libraries are a statutory requirement in prisons, but
We get the most out of what we have and use original, The introduction of student reading coaches is students into the library through countless initiatives: not in schools.” SecEd
fresh ideas to whip up student interest. There are ways another successful project; older mentors are paired reading groups, books trails, book crossings, displays,
of getting things if you’re inventive enough, and we use with younger students. As well as listening to the big reads, book awards, competitions – the list goes on. • Laura Yates is a former Open Learning Centre
imagination to stretch the budget as far as we can.” younger ones read, they talk to each other about books “Some activities are much more successful manager and author of The Birmingham Mail’s From
Despite not having an excess of money, the library and recommend titles to each other. than others, but you can’t give up if students don’t Here to Maternity blog.
SecEd • December 3 2009 15
15 Managing ICTa.indd 15 30/11/09 12:39:55
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