Tower Hamlets Schools Library Services

Category: Advisory & support

  • Anti-Racist Support for Schools

    Anti-Racist Support for Schools

    Training and support provided by Global Learning London

    • Global Learning London have been delivered the Towards an Anti-Racist Curriculum with schools across Tower Hamlets for the last 5 years. This programme is coming to an end, however their support is still available to schools who would like to commission them.
    • For more information on the training below, please contact the Head of Global Learning London, Faaria Ahmad, directly: Faaria.ahmad@towerhamlets.gov.uk

    Racial Equity Audit


    This audit will give SLT a tailored action plan on how they can move further towards becoming an anti-racist school. This will not be a tick box exercise, there will be greater awareness, understanding and accountability through this work.

    Whole school trainings

    Introduction to Anti-Racism

    The session will explore what racism is and how in manifests in our day-to-day lives, providing strategies and tools to support students and educators.

    Being an Active Bystander

    This session with Darren Chetty will examine the principles that underpin the idea of the active bystander so as to feel more confident with how to address discriminatory practices in school ensuring that policy becomes practice. Through facilitated discussion, we will consider how might apply these principles to real-life scenarios.

    Anti-Racist Safeguarding

    This session with Latifa Akay will help ensure that schools are better equipped with the knowledge and skills to support their global majority students and parent communities by better understanding themselves and those they work with.

    Anti-Racist Reading and Writing

    This session with Darren Chetty will explore how to offer to broad and balanced reading curriculum, a rich reading diet for all children and how we can work with ‘classic’ texts which are shaped by colonial values. We will reflect on how to make writing a meaningful activity and how to help children combine technical knowledge with experiential knowledge so as to bring their writing to life. The Schools Library Services can provide additional book loans to support this training.

    Racial Literacy Curriculum Framework

    This session with Abha Aggarwal outlines key themes and learning objectives in the curriculum to support racial literacy development for school pupils. This session will introduce a range of subject specific and cross curricular resources to support racial literacy in school curriculums.

    Reframing Incidents of Racial Harm

    The way in which incidents and issues of racial harm are understood, informs how these issues are responded to in schools. This training offers new ways of framing these issues which leads to new approaches in responses and issue/ incident management.

    SLT Surgeries

    In-person surgeries with SLT and Project leads. To create the time and space for SLT to think about and reflect on how the school has been embedding an anti-racist lens, and where they feel they need greater support and advice.



  • Library Software User Groups

    Library Software User Groups

    If you need help with your new pupil import, just ask!

    Sessions this term are:

    • Term time : Mondays between 3:45pm and 5pm at the Schools Library Services OR via Teams/ Zoom (please email jacob.turner@towerhamlets.gov.uk if you want to attend). Free to subscribing schools, covering advice, Q & As, etc.
    • In-school training : times to suit. £80/hr

    Systems covered

    • Libresoft Librarian
    • Junior Librarian/ Junior Librarian.net/ The Reading Cloud
    • Heritage and Cirqa
    • Accessit
    • Simple Little Library System
    • Eclipse
    • Other systems on request

    Pupil data import and update

    A librarian can be booked to visit your school or connect remotely and carry out any maintenance of the database and add/ move on borrowers. Contact the library to find out more.

    eBooks Platform

    Support and advice can also be provided for users of the Tower Hamlets Schools Library Services eBooks platform.

    Register

    1. Email jacob.turner@towerhamlets.gov.uk
    2. Provide your full name and school
    3. Let me know what help or advice you require in regards to your library catalogue/ software
    4. If you need help with your cloud-based system, remember to bring your login details to the session
  • Primary School Pupil Library Assistant of the Year Award

    Primary School Pupil Library Assistant of the Year Award

    The next pupil library assistant awards will be in 2024. Contact the Schools Library Services to register your interest.

    About the Award

    The award will be presented to a pupil library assistant in a Tower Hamlets primary school who has been helping in their school library for at least one term and has shown responsibility and initiative in exercising their duties as well as gained knowledge of books and library routines and the skills of reading and library promotion.

    Nominate your library assistants

    Download and complete a nomination form if your school is taking part

    Aims of the Award

    • To enable children to be aspirational and develop specialist job skills
    • To enable children to develop a sense of responsibility, achievement and self-esteem
    • To give children a chance to be part of the everyday running of the library
    • To promote librarianship as a future career
    • To promote citizenship in pupils
    • To promote the development of communications skills

    Prizes!

    The Award ( book tokens, trophy and certificate, plus free books for the school library) will be presented at an awards ceremony

    Take part

    The next pupil library assistant awards will be in 2024. Contact the Schools Library Services to register your interest.

    Criteria

    Nominees should be primary school pupils who have been helping in the school library for at least one term.

    The Nomination Process

    The proposer (school librarian or teacher) is asked to describe the nominee in the following categories:

    • Personal qualities
    • Examples of particular contribution (e.g. helping other pupils, helping with library web pages, helping with displays, helping with new books etc.)
    • Being a role model for other pupils and supporting the goals and vision of the school library
    • Reading and library habits
    • Promotion of the library and of books to peers
    • Knowledge of library routines and tasks and ability to work with initiative and responsibility in the library

    The nominated pupil is asked to write a short piece (250 words maximum) on their contribution to the school library, and the headteacher asked to endorse the nomination

  • Teachers’ Reading for Pleasure Blog

    Teachers’ Reading for Pleasure Blog

    As school librarians and teachers, we love to read children’s books and to share what we love about those books with children.  There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing the pleasure a child gets from being inspired by a wonderful story, or thrilling adventure, or understanding a character from the inside.  Sometimes we need to get inspiration too when we are reaching for just the right book to share, and many teachers are looking for new titles and deeper understanding of a novel.  Reading for pleasure is so important, not just because it is an entry into the wider world of literature, but because children’s learning and attainment expand so much better when they are independent readers.

    What I would like to do here is spread the word about more books, new, old, forgotten classics, the very latest titles, and see where that takes us.  Your contributions will be enormously helpful – to hear about the experience in the classroom and in your book clubs will make us all reflect more about the choices we making in promoting reading with pupils.

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  • School-based INSET

    School-based INSET

    The Schools Library Services and Global Learning London offer school-based training for teachers, librarians, teaching assistants, volunteers, parents and governors. These are some examples of what our experienced advisors can offer:

    Libraries, Reading and Literacy

    • Basic Library Management
    • Strategies for creating a reading culture
    • E-books in your school
    • Creating a lively classroom book corner
    • How to get the best from your library management system
    • Teachers reading group to develop knowledge of children’s literature

    Digital Information Skills

    • Information literacy and online research skills (for staff or students)
    • Digital fluency and net-savviness

    Global Learning

    Please contact us to discuss your training needs further.

     

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  • SLS-UK School Library Award

    SLS-UK School Library Award

    Schools in Tower Hamlets, Hackney and other authorities the opportunity to accredit their library service via our award scheme.

    Current Gold Library Award Holders

    • Globe Primary School (Gold Award), Tower Hamlets.
    • Central Foundation Girls Secondary (Gold Award), Tower Hamlets.

     

    Current Award Holders

    • Lawdale Primary School, Tower Hamlets.
    • Chisenhale Primary School, Tower Hamlets.

     What is the award?

     Launched in 2012, the SLS School Library Award was initiated by Warwickshire Schools Library Service and are now available to all schools through SLS-UK. It enables any primary or secondary school to work towards achieving a Library award or the Gold version for high-achieving services.

     The award is a self-assessment process conducted by the designated member of staff in charge of the library and endorsed by the Head Teacher.  It is an audit of 20 key activities with supporting documentation where necessary.

     Schools record across three levels how their library service is operating in a range of activities and services:

     Developing      Establishing     Enhancing

     An award is given to a school where the library is achieving 10 or more separate activities / services in the ‘establishing’ and/or ‘enhancing’ category. A Gold award is given for 15 or more services in the ‘enhancing’ category only.

    How do schools apply?

    Order your pack when you subscribe to Tower Hamlets Schools Library Service using SLA online, or, for schools outside Tower Hamlets, email schoolslibraryservices@towerhamlets.gov.uk for an application pack, marking your subject line Tower Hamlets SLS School Library Award

    Please ensure your full name, job title and school name are in the body of the email.

     The award is open to all schools.  If you are from an area where there is a nearer schools library service, we may pass your request on to them.

    • Schools subscribing to Tower Hamlets Schools Library Services:  £50
    • Schools not subscribing to our service,  but have membership of the School Library Association: £60
    • All other schools:  £70.

    We will send you the pack together with an invoice for the fee, unless you pay via SLA online.

    Using the audit sheet in the pack, the designated library or literacy specialist will need to complete the assessment form and return it to us signed by him/herself as well as the head teacher.

    Staff from the Schools Library Service will assess the submission and make an award to the school via a certificate as appropriate. Their decision is final, but a school will usually be welcome to re-submit following a minimum six-month gap

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  • Designing Your School Library

    Designing Your School Library

    Whether you have a new library, are moving within the building, or are just looking to rejuvinate your existing area, the Schools Library Service can offer impartial expert advice on making the best use of your library space:

    • A design tailored to how your school intends to use the library
    • Help in choosing the best specialist furniture suppliers
    • A space to inspire
    • Display, guiding and signage
    • Quality stock
    • Subject indexes for research and reference
    • Integration of information technology into the library
    • Installation of library computer management systems

    Call us on 020 7364 6428 or use our contact form to get in touch about this service

    You may also be interested in :

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  • Library, information and research skills schemes of work

    Library, information and research skills schemes of work

    The importance of information literacy and research skills in education is gaining recognition across schools, colleges and universities, and self-directed learning is becoming an essential skill for students and job-seekers.

    The Schools Library Service is working with primary, secondary, FE and HE institutions to provide library and computer-based information skills sessions that support the wider curriculum.

    Primary School Information Skills Scheme of Work

    The Primary School Information Skills Framework is a document being continualy revised by our librarians. It builds on core library skills to:

    • Improve pupil research skills
    • Enable pupils to evaluate information they find on the internet and in books
    • Improve pupils’ overall reading skills
    • Enable pupils to better select their own reading books
    • Encourage the use of the school library within the teaching of the wider curriculum
    • Provide skills for pupils to take forward to secondary education

    Includes modules on evaluating online information, websites and shared content.

    Download the scheme -2018 revision – (viewable online below)

    We’re currently able to make this document free to access. If you’re downloading or using our scheme of work, please fill in the below form to let us know how you’re using it. Feedback welcome.

      Tower Hamlets Library Skills Scheme of Work 2018

      Secondary school and Post 16

      The use of internet resources (subscription based, free, or public domain) has become an integral part of students’ work.

      We can provide in-school workshops for both students and teachers.
      Aims include:

      • Enable students to evaluate and become discerning consumers of the vast range of information available via the internet
      • Enable students and teachers to identify deliberate misinformation online
      • Improve student and teacher awareness of the range of information sources available
      • Enable students to get the most from the subscription services bought by their school or college
      • Enable students to use these skills across the wider curriculum and to improve coursework research
      • Refresh students’ awareness of library collections (public and educational)
      • Raise awareness of issues of plagiarism and to introduce eCopyright issues

      In addition, we have worked with schools to deliver workshops and lectures supporting current anti-radicalisation agendas.

      Call us on 020 7364 6428 or use our contact form to get in touch about this service

       

    • IT Support for your School Library

      IT Support for your School Library

      In most cases we recommend that schools use a library management system to:

      • Accurately keep track of school book borrowing
      • Monitor reading patterns and reading attainment
      • Collect important reading data for your school records
      • Enable pupils and staff to know exactly what resources are in the school and where to find them

      We are not affiliated with any software provider and will happily advise on the most suitable platform(s) that will meed your needs.

      We offer annual library software health checks to ensure your computer management system is up-to-date and basic housekeeping processes are done regularly. However, the software requires managing!  We offer the following support for all commonly used library catalogue systems

      • Staff and pupil training (beginner to advanced)
      • Managing and importing pupil borrower data
      • Cataloguing books and other new resources
      • Stock checking
      • Using reports to gather reading and borrowing statistics

      User Group Meetings

      We hold weekly Junior Librarian, Junior.Net, Reading Cloud, Eclipse, Pergamon Mu and Heritage User Group meetings to keep schools up-to-date with latest developments and answer questions you may have on how to get the best out of the system. These meetings are FREE to all subscribers.

      eBooks and eResources

      We provide eResources platform subscriptions to schools and also have our own eBooks platform for subscribing schools at no additional cost. See our eResources page for more information on services including accessing the platform and advice on using eBooks safely and legally within schools.

      Call us on 020 7364 6428 or use our contact form to get in touch about these services

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