Learning Resource Centre
The Learning Resource Centre is a welcoming and well used space that supports teaching and learning across the school. It offers a diverse range of books alongside magazines, DVDs, computer access, and printing facilities to support both curriculum and wider reading.The LRC is popular during break and lunchtime for reading, homework, and independent study. Mrs Sidat, the LRC Manager, is available to support students and staff with enquiries and guidance.
The LRC also offers a student leadership opportunity through the LRC Ambassador role. This involves supporting the day‑to‑day running of the Centre, promoting reading, and helping to create a positive, organised, and inclusive learning environment for all students.
opening times
Open during morning break and lunchtime
Afterschool Club: 2.45pm - 3.45pm Monday to Friday
The Literary Canon
We believe that reading for pleasure is essential to students’ academic and personal development. Regular reading helps to build vocabulary, improve focus and concentration, develop empathy, and broaden students’ understanding of the world.
Our Literary Canon has been created as a shared reading offer to inspire and engage students with reading. It aims to build confidence and enjoyment by encouraging pupils to explore high‑quality texts beyond the classroom. Each year group has access to a carefully selected range of age‑appropriate and appropriately challenging books that represent diverse voices and experiences. These texts support thoughtful discussion and help pupils to broaden their understanding of different perspectives.
We further enrich this experience by running the Literary Canon as an exciting competition, where pupils’ enthusiasm and commitment to reading are recognised and rewarded.
KS3 Library Lessons
As part of our commitment to fostering a love of reading, KS3 students spend one lesson each half term in the school library. This dedicated time gives pupils the opportunity to explore the shelves, discover new authors and genres, and select a book that they genuinely enjoy.
Library lessons allow students to browse at their own pace and seek help or recommendations when needed. Staff are available to support pupils in choosing books that are appropriate for their age, reading ability, and personal interests. Students then spend the remainder of the session reading their chosen book in a calm, welcoming environment.
These sessions aim to develop positive reading habits and encourage reading for pleasure. By ensuring that all students have equal access to books and support, library lessons help to remove barriers to reading and promote confidence, enjoyment, and engagement with books both in school and at home.
Year 7 Novel: Elliot’s mum is ill and his home is under threat, but a shooting star crashes to earth and changes his life forever. The star is Virgo – a young Zodiac goddess on a mission. But the pair accidentally release Thanatos, a wicked death daemon imprisoned beneath Stonehenge, and must then turn to the old Olympian gods for help.
Year 8 Novel: In an unnamed Third World country, in the not-so-distant future, three “dumpsite boys” make a living picking through the mountains of garbage on the outskirts of a large city. One unlucky-lucky day, Raphael finds something very special and very mysterious.
Year 9 Novel: One night, Starr and her childhood friend Khalil get pulled over by police. They end up shooting and killing Khalil after apparently mistaking the boy's hairbrush for a gun. Starr is the only witness and has to decide whether to use her voice to try and fight for justice. What follows is a brilliant and fantastically told exploration of race in America - and of growing up, too.
Year 10 Novel: My Name Is Leon by Kit de Waal is a children’s novel about a young boy called Leon who is taken into foster care with his baby brother, Jake. When Jake is adopted by another family, Leon struggles with loneliness, confusion, and a deep fear of being forgotten, holding on to small routines and symbols of stability. The story follows Leon as he navigates the care system, searches for belonging, and slowly begins to find kindness, understanding, and a place where he feels he matters.
Year 11 Novel: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives.
Readathon
Readathon gets pupils reading with the added benefit of raising money for children in hospital. It gives children a universal opportunity for them to develop an awareness of, and to take direct action to improve the lide of a fellow child.
- Schools that have run Readathon have higher attainment levels than schools that don't and schools that run it every year attain the highest of all
- Independent research shows that pupils taking part in Readathon enjoy reading more, are more likely to read in their free time, read more widely and use the school library and are happier
- Children in hospital are among the most deprived in the UK. Almost all surveyed said they were cheered up by Read for Good's books and storytellers and those who said they don't regularly read at home, 86% were encouraged to read more when they left hospital.
| motivation | inclusion | rewards | results |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils are motivated to read because the sponsor money raised helps buy books and storyteller visits for your local childrens hospital | From comics to classics and audio books to blogs - choice is crucial to make reading more fun for all types of pupils from keen to reluctant readers | You'll receive a free books voucher worth 20% of the amount your pupils raise to spend at Scholastic Book Clubs - boosting your school library | Independent research shows that school sattain higher results when they run Readathon - especially when they run it year after year. |