'When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.'  Acts 15:31

Welcome to our School Library

‘A Library is not only a room filled with books, but a place that helps you escape to other worlds’

Our Library is the gateway into school and provides a quiet and comfy area for children to lose themselves in reading. With informative displays, book recommendations and reading challenges we are all proud of our Library. It houses over 7,000 books, fiction and non-fiction, taking you from the hills of Hobbiton to the ancient wonders of Egypt.

Reading is important to us not just to educate but also to enjoy. Teaching children core reading skills helps them to access all other learning. Building, embracing and encouraging a genuine love of reading helps children discover endless worlds, go on incredible adventures and meet hundreds of fascinating characters. It also allows children to broaden their vocabulary and increase their general knowledge about a huge range of subjects.

Whole class reading sessions (guided reading) is where our children are taught the skills of questioning the text and deepening their understanding of comprehension, where they learn to unpick the vocabulary and how the author has used it. This is done in both verbal and practical sections. Each class also has a whole class reading book which is read by the teacher, giving the children a chance to listen and enjoy a story.

We also offer a weekly after school 'Book Club' run by our school librarian, held in our library

We believe that the books should be both mirrors and windows. It is important for children to read ‘Mirror books’- books in which they find characters that reflect themselves and cultures that reflect their own. This allows children to see that they are valued. We also want children to read ‘Window books’- books in which they find characters and cultures which are unfamiliar to them. In reading books of both kinds, we are ensuring that our children are learning about others and developing understanding and empathy as well as building on their understanding of their own identity. We want all our children to recognise themselves in books they read as well as having the chance to explore the experiences of others who are different to them. This is something we are continuing to develop in school as our collection of books with a variety of characters, settings and storylines flourishes.

You can help to establish a love of reading at home too. Whether you are reading books yourself and setting a great example, hearing your child read their book in the evening or sharing a story from home with them, this time with you will help them to enjoy reading.

Reading isn’t just about books either, giving them the ability to choose from a wide range of text types (novels, short stories, picture books, graphic novels, magazines, comics etc) can pique their interest and help grow a lifelong enjoyment of reading.

Books are designed to complement our vision of valuing Diversity and thus represent all children regardless of race, colour, faith, gender or sexuality. To colour their world not just see it in black and white.