Tower Hamlets Schools Library Services

Tag: Primary Schools

  • Professional Librarians in Primary Schools

    Professional Librarians in Primary Schools

    “The most important element of an effective school library is the person managing it”

    Your School Librarian

    To ensure that the library is strategically managed and developed as well as open and available to children as much as possible,  we recommend that schools employ a professional librarian for a number of hours (3.5 to 35) a week with support from a library assistant.

    “The work of a School Librarian has the potential to make a huge contribution to the school in ways that I had not realised until we found ours.  Her work has impacted directly on the children; their involvement and enthusiasm for reading as well as our participation in enrichment activities and the maintenance of the reading environment.”
    Headteacher, Primary School in Tower Hamlets

    With HMI Ofsted expecting to see good quality libraries and ambitious expectations and support for home reading, the management of your school library with its tens of thousands of pounds worth of resources is more important than ever!

    A professional librarian will:

    Support children’s learning by:

    • Promoting enjoyment of, and excitement about, reading
    • Plan and run exiting library-based activities
    • Establishing skills for independent learning and assist in the delivery of information and research skills teaching in the school
    • Monitor reading and attainment

    Support the teaching staff by:

    • Identifying and buying quality resources for the school library and classroom libraries
    • Assisting in the delivery of information skills  and information literacy teaching in the school
    • Helping to select resources from the Schools Library Services

    Support the school by:

    • Working closely with school leaders to ensure that the library meets the needs of the school
    • Managing and promoting the school library and teacher resources, ensuring consistency and maintaining quality
    • Ensuring value for money when buying new resources
    • Raising reading and literacy standards

    Tower Hamlets Schools Library Services can provide schools with the services of a professional librarian on a regular basis
    Minimum contract – one year

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


     

  • Supporting Your School : What we can do

    Supporting Your School : What we can do

    school3Libraries are fantastic resources and need regular care and attention to keep them up-to-date and working well.  If you feel your library needs some attention, a health check by one of our experienced librarians is a good place to start.

    A FREE initial one-hour advisory visit is included in your subscription to the Schools Library Service from which will emerge an action plan to get your library moving.  We will look at:

    Primary Schools

    • ­  Library policy, development plans and budgets
    • ­  Classification, colour coding, library guiding and subject index posters
    • Computer cataloguing services and stock checking
    • ­  Library design
    • ­  Stock audits and resource purchase, including equalities assessments
    • ­  Installation and management of computer systems for school libraries
    • ­  Electronic books and other e-resources
    • ­  Training for teachers, teaching assistants, governors and library staff
    •   Promoting the school library to all children and creating a reading culture
    • ­  Teaching information and library skills

    Secondary Schools

    We offer professional support for your secondary school librarian through:

    • advisory visits, telephone support and best practice wiki
    • membership of Tower Hamlets School Librarians Network
    • regular school librarian meetings (primary and secondary librarians working together) looking at news and collaboration on national & local reading initiatives, liaison with local public libraries and Idea Stores, best practice in running school libraries and recent new books for children and young people
    • INSET and training
    • ability to borrow both children’s level resources and professional literature
    • access to our e-book platform

    We can also help schools with recruitment by providing job descriptions, interview questions and model answers and attendance at interview

    IT Support and user group meetings

    Library management systems are an effective tool for librarians to:

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

    However, the software requires managing! We offer annual library software health checks and weekly user-group meetings at the Schools Library Service that are free to subscribers.

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

    You may also be interested in:

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  • eBook platform and ‘The Day’ Newspaper

    eBook platform and ‘The Day’ Newspaper

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    Schools Library Services eBooks platform

    Now searchable by Accelerated Reader levels!

    All subscribing schools can use our eBook lending service.  To receive logins to your accounts, please contact the schools library service. Following the link will allow you to view our eBook stock.

    We are now part of the London Schools Library Services eBook consortium, meaning that schools have access to an even wider range of eBooks.

    Why use our platform?

    • eBook platforms are expensive for schools to set up. Why not use a ready made platform that comes as part of your subscription to our service?
    • No annual running costs or minimum spend requirements on new books
    • No admin worries. Send us your reader data and we will upload it
    • Books selected for their suitability for primary and secondary schools

    Access to the platform at no additional cost is available to:

    • Primary schools with a whole-school subscription to the Tower Hamlets Schools Library Services (e.g. Silver or Gold lending package)
    • Secondary schools subscribing to the current creative literature package

    Other schools may pay an additional subscription for the eBooks package

    About the ePlatform

    Provided via the Wheelers platform, the current collection comprises of popular fiction for ages 9/10 and upwards, many chosen from previous years’ Teen Booklists and Must Reads booklists.

    • The platform is intended for staff and pupils to have direct access to the collection as a 24/7 library
    • The age range of the books is for primary school year 5 up to sixth form
    • Books unsuitable for younger readers are age restricted*
    • Teachers and librarians can use the collection to keep up-to-date with new children’s and young adult fiction.
    • Up to 2 eBooks can be borrowed at a time
    • eBooks are ‘loaned’ for 2 weeks at a time
    • Books can be read online on a PC or downloaded to an eBook reader or any tablet.  Please note that Kindle readers are not compatible, but Kindle Fire tablets are
    • Borrowing and downloading support is available on the platform site

    Teachers interested in using the platform with their school should contact Jacob Turner at the Schools Library Service.

    jacob.turner@towerhamlets.gov.uk

    020 7364 6428

    *Age restrictions are applied by librarians at the schools library services managing the eBooks platforms. Restrictions are based purely on our own judgement and may not be in line with your own views.

    How to start using the platform

    1. Browse the collection and make a decision as to how you wish to use it in your school. Do you want all pupils and staff to have access, or are you going to use it to support smaller reading groups?
    2. Register your staff and pupil users. Email the completed login template for eBooks platform to jacob.turner@towerhamlets.gov.uk
    3. We will contact you to go over essential details about using the platform
    4. Start reading!

    Advice and support

    Advice on how to implement eBooks and eResources in your school, including:

    • Free user groups each term-time Monday
    • Choosing an appropriate platform
    • Inclusion and support, including looking at special educational needs
    • How eBooks can be used in the classroom
    • Legal and copyright questions answered!

    Other eResources

    The Day – daily news service

    Available at a discounted rate via consortium membership

     

  • Posters and Picture Packs

    Posters and Picture Packs

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    Posters

    Covering all curriculum topics including:

    • Science explanations
    • Human body and anatomy
    • Animals and plants
    • Geographical features
    • History and timelines
    • Maps (loacal, continental, world)

    Instructional posters including:

    • PSHE and diversity awareness
    • Anti-bullying
    • Feelings and behaviour
    • Road safety

    Art posters including

    • Portraits
    • World art
    • Art periods and movements form early art to contemporary works
    • Posters and propaganda
    • Architecture

    Picture Packs

    We have picture packs covering all the usual topic areas and some less usual ones! Picture packs can contain between 6 and 30+ images depending on subject.

    Curriculum areas include

    • Religion, including celebrations, symbols and sacred texts
    • All areas of science including plants and animals
    • Geography including maps and islands and pirates
    • Technology and design, including fairground rides and circuses and carnival costumes
    • Art by subject or movement