Welcome to the Fernwood School Library, newly refurbished in 2014. A whole school resource, the library plays a central role in the school, providing resources and advice for pupils and staff, on reading for enjoyment, information literacy and research.
The library is staffed by a full time Library Manager and a part-time library assistant. It is open throughout the school day, and pupils have access at break and lunchtimes. A team of pupils helps to run the service at these busy times, and these pupils gain skills and confidence while offering us a valuable service.
All Year 7 and 8 classes have regular library lessons in English, during which a range of activities around reading are delivered by the library staff, in collaboration with teaching staff. Our aim is to help all pupils find the right books to engender a love of reading, and we use Accelerated Reader with Year 7’s to challenge pupils and allow us to reward progress in reading.
The library is used by all subject areas, for lessons which involve research and information handling, using both print and ICT sources.
There are approximately 10,000 resources in the library, including fiction, information books, graphic novels, magazines and newspapers. Resources cater for all levels of reading ability, and for the full age range of the school. We also have PCs and iPads which are used in library lessons and for homework at lunch and break times. Pupils may borrow resources, and are encouraged to do so, using a biometric system to allow easy borrowing. There are comfortable seating areas for quiet reading, as well as a classroom/study area.
There are regular reading groups, events promoting books and reading, and visits to authors. These involve staff as well as children, sometimes celebrating events such as World Book Day, Anti-Bullying Week, or the World Cup. We participate in several book awards, including the Carnegie Award, the local Brilliant Book Award and the Stan Lee Excelsior Award for graphic novels.
We use a digital library management system, called Oliver.
Mrs S Bramman | Library Manager |
Stan Lee Excelsior Graphic Novel Award
Follow Us