 Library Facilities
School Librarian – Penny Swan MSc
Library Assistants - Susanna Finch
Library Assistants - Lucy Saint
The school has a library in each building. Opening times are as follows:
St Andrew: Mon-Fri 8.30am – 4.30pm
St Michaels Mon-Fri 9.00am - 3.30pm
Reading and Literacy
In December 2007 The Grey Coat Hospital was awarded the distinction of being a Reading Connects School. This means we place a high priority on reading and have the following aims:
- To encourage and support reluctant readers at KS3 by means of genre reading groups and story times, and at KS4 by challenging Y10 students to continue reading by involvement in the Carnegie Award Shadowing Scheme. The main promotion of these activities will be via English Library Lessons.
- To actively involve the whole staff in reading related activities by promoting a whole school approach to reading for pleasure and using themed reads and reading journeys.
Yr 7 reading club
The year 7 reading club runs every Wednesday in the lower school Library. Popular sessions so far this year have included the Book Speed Dating; Book Club Bingo and Genre Fun. We are an official Carnegie Award Shadowing School (see www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk for more information) and we will be reading all the short-listed books next year with members of the other reading groups.
There is a lively Staff reading group, which meets each half term to discuss 3 or 4 titles, and exchange recommendations.
Pupil Librarians
This term we have started a new initiative with Pupil Librarians from year 8 and 9. After fierce competition 6 pupils were appointed to learn about the school library and to help keep it running smoothly. We will be interviewing for PLs at the start of each autumn term.
The 10 most popular authors at Grey Coats:
Jacqueline Wilson - 288 loans Malorie Blackman - 111 loans Louise Rennison - 94 loans Cathy Cassidy - 92 loans Meg Cabot - 88 loans Robert Muchamore - 74 loans Agatha Christie - 70 loans Mary Hooper - 66 loans Michael Morpurgo - 62 loans Sophie McKenzie – 59 loans
These are the top ten, but I was pleased to see that Charles Dickens was in the top 30, having been borrowed 27 times.
Other honourable mentions go to:
David Almond (21)
EM Forster (19)
Judy Blume (17)
JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis and Kazuo Ishiguro (9)
Sebastian Faulkes (8)
The Libraries have:
- A stock of over 23,000 books
- Access to the internet, school network and VLE
- Daily newspapers
- Relevant academic periodicals
- A wide selection of DVDs, videos, CDs and audio cassettes with access to CD and cassette players
- Three members of staff ready, willing and able to help with all sorts of enquiries!
Most of these resources can be borrowed, and students can take up to 4 resources out at one time. Loans are for a two week period unless the resources form part of the Short Loan Collection.
There is a staffed Homework Club at the Lower school Library where students can come and use the Library facilities in order to complete homework, research or read.
Library Rules
Students are expected to:
- respect others whilst in the Library and work or read as quietly as possible.
- refrain from eating, drinking or chewing.
- ensure that all resources are issued to them before taking them out of the Library.
Mobile Phones and MP3 Players will be confiscated if used in the Library.
KS3 Reading Lists - please click to download one of the following reading lists:
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Other booklists:
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