GREENBANK HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY POLICY Approved by Governors Reviewed and Approved April 2015 “The Governors of Greenbank High School are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people at every opportunity and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment”

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Greenbank High School Library Policy The Library aims to provide a modern multimedia Learning Zone and a welcoming, inclusive learning environment which is central to the school, actively supporting teaching and learning within the school, recognizing and valuing each individual as a lifelong learner, supporting the development of independent learning skills and fostering a love and enjoyment of reading in all its forms. We are committed to equality of access and aim to offer opportunities for all students to take responsibility for their own learning and recreation, effectively and with enjoyment. AIMS: 

To support teaching and learning within the school.

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To support and encourage, in partnership with teaching staff, the development of independent learning skills, helping students to be critical and creative users of information.

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To provide a welcoming and supportive, stimulating and structured learning environment. This encourages all students to reach their individual potential.

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To encourage a love and enjoyment of reading in all its forms and to encourage use of the Library by all members of the school community.

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To create opportunities for students to develop their self-confidence, self-respect and sense of responsibility.

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To promote the Accelerated Reader Scheme and guide pupils in their choice of appropriate books.

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To support More Able pupils to develop the skills, knowledge and understanding to access the highest grades and beyond.

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To provide an extra curricular learning environment to support those pupils who may find it difficult to study at home.

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To provide a suitable and flexible environment to host a wide range of enrichment learning experiences such as Enterprise challenges, Mock Interviews, Leadership courses and clubs.

STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION: 1.

To support teaching and learning within the school by:  

providing proactive services which are tailored to, and responsive to, the needs of the whole school community. providing access to a wide range of targeted and differentiated materials, in a 2|Page

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variety of formats – hard copy, electronic and remote – which support learning. consulting with Directors of Learning and Subject Leaders and other teaching staff regarding appropriate resources to support curriculum work. ensuring that all resources are of excellent quality by applying a standard selection policy. editing stock on the basis of the following criteria: physical condition, currency of information or its potential to mislead, relevance to current curriculum, and frequency of borrowing. Implementing the following loans procedure:

Loans procedure: To ensure the best possible access to resources, the borrowing limit is currently set at 3 items for KS3 & 4 for staff 10. Provision can be made should more be required. The loan period for the resources can also be negotiated. 2. To support and encourage, in partnership with teaching staff, the development of independent research and learning skills by: 

providing assistance and support to students and staff throughout and beyond the school day;

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working with staff to plan, organize, and deliver appropriate sessions to develop these skills; providing support for library-based lessons, the precise nature of this support being determined through discussion with the lesson teacher.

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To provide a welcoming and supportive, stimulating and structured learning environment which encourages all students to reach their full individual potential by:      

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ensuring maximum access for the whole school community to resources and services, with the Library open before, during and after school. At present, the opening hours are 8:00am to 4.30pm (Homework Club after school ) ensuring that trained staff are present at all times during the Library’s opening hours to provide support for all students and staff maintaining that a member of duty staff is present every lunchtime and morning break in order to maintain a safe and purposeful, and relaxed environment. shelving non-fiction items according to the Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme, and shelving fiction items in alphabetical order by author’s surname within that genre. ensuring that displays are up-to-date and preferably designed in collaboration with the students themselves. Displays are a powerful tool for highlighting library resources, services and activities, and improving literacy and stimulating students’ intellectual curiosity. Students’ work, especially when resulting from library-based research, is displayed where appropriate to boost confidence and showcase examples of work. The annual art exhibition of GCSE work models high standards of creativity and individual work. ensuring that guides to assist in the use of the library and in exploiting its resources and facilities are available for staff and students. ensuring there is a well resourced Careers Library in partnership with the school’s Careers Adviser to support Information, Advice and Guidance to give pupils access to impartial material.

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Accommodation:  The Library (and Careers area) seats approximately 100 students. An additional 24 computers are housed in a separate room and there is a dedicated reading area with soft seats.  In order to meet the many and varying demands placed upon it and to maintain the correct, positive learning ethos of the Library across the school, it is important that the Library does not become: o an area for unsupervised students. o a detention area o a classroom (other than for research, enrichment activities or independent learning lessons) Use of the Library:  The use of the facility for teaching staff to book the Library for research-based lessons and to send small groups of students for research during lessons is encouraged.  Students sent in small groups or individually for research during lessons must bring a permission note from the teacher responsible for them, stating the purpose of the visit and the information required. This ensures that the visit is legitimate, purposeful and productive. 

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The Library is an area where the whole school community can expect to find and maintain a quiet, not silent, working environment, which is conducive to learning and recognizes the needs of all library users. Noisy or disruptive students will be asked to leave. A more relaxed atmosphere operates at break and lunchtimes to encourage the more recreational aspect of the library. The networked computers should be booked for use by students and staff to ensure maximum access for all. Schoolwork-related print-outs are free to students, within reason; printer consumables are funded centrally as a whole-school resource. To encourage a love and enjoyment of reading in all its forms and to encourage use of the Library by all members of the school community by:

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providing a range of resources aimed at encouraging and challenging students to develop their literacy skills through reading for pleasure: o fiction stock is selected to support the recreational reading of all members of the school community at all reading levels o non-fiction resources is selected to support and extend students’ leisure interests, and to widen their knowledge and understanding organizing events, activities and competitions to promote reading and raise awareness of books, authors and genres. creating displays to highlight new stock, particular topics and genres, topical themes, and students’ work providing opportunities for students and staff to share reading experiences as on World Book Day providing the facility to purchase books through the ‘Cover to Cover’ school book club and book fairs, as deemed appropriate by the Librarian. To create opportunities for students to develop their self-confidence, selfrespect and sense of responsibility by:

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recruiting and training students as pupil library assistants and rewarding their contribution accordingly. encouraging students to contribute feedback and suggestions on behalf of their year 4|Page

and help to plan and run events for World Book Day and other events in the school reading calendar. ROLE OF THE LIBRARIAN: The Librarian has an essential and unique specialist role to play in supporting pupils’ learning and their development into effective, independent learners and readers.

The Librarian is full time and employed for 52 weeks of the year. The role of the Librarian is to:  work closely and proactively with teaching staff to provide professional services and facilities in support of learning across the whole school.  lead the development and promotion of the Library.  be responsible for the strategic and day-to-day management of the Library.  manage the Library budget effectively in accordance with school procedures and principles of best value.  support the curriculum across the school in order to enhance the learning experience of every student.  exploit every opportunity to promote the Library, its stock and services. The Librarian is line managed by the Director of Learning for English. SELECTION AND MAINTENANCE OF RESOURCES: The Library plays a central role in the life of the school and adopts a proactive approach to providing services, striving to respond to current needs and anticipate and address future needs of the whole school community. Faculty liaison: The Librarian is familiar with the courses offered by all departments, liaising with teaching staff to identify resources to support these courses. Staff from each department are responsible for recommending and requesting items for purchase. All resources are selected to ensure high quality, appeal, currency and appropriateness, as well as to ensure that cultural diversity is represented and bias and stereotyping are avoided Resources should form part of a balanced collection, providing differing perspectives and information, helping students towards an understanding of cultures and ways of living different from their own. Library resources include a range of alternative formats to support each topic studied and to support students’ individual learning styles:  General and subject-specific books for loan and reference  General and subject-specific magazines and journals covering a broad range of topics  Newspapers in hard copy  A ‘Quick Reference’ collection, including a range of dictionaries, encyclopaedias and directories  Educational games

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Funding: Sufficient funding needs to be available to allow for the replacement of out-of-date or worn stock and for the selection of new stock to reflect changes in the curriculum and meet users’ needs at all levels of ability.  CILIP recommends replacement of 10% of stock every year to ensure adequate provision2.  Schools Library Association (SLA) Recommended Spending in Schools states that a minimum spend on library stock per pupil should be £14 per secondary school pupil.  The SLA recommends a stock of 10 items per pupil aged 11-16. Facilities: Library facilities include:  A computerised catalogue of all the Library Resources  A minimum of 44 networked computers, each with Internet access & 20 i-pads.  A heavy-duty black and white laser printer  Photocopying facilities MONITORING AND EVALUATION: It is essential that the Library constantly examines critically and reviews the quality of its provision and identifies areas for improvement. Only then can it be in a position to respond to current needs, anticipate and address future needs and ensure the highest levels of satisfaction among the whole school community.

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