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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27/09/2017

Chatterbooks Reading Groups

Reading Clubs in Schools

The Chatterbooks DfE-funded project we piloted last year to establish reading clubs in schools proved so successful that we are now offering the same service to all schools in Tower Hamlets.

The Chatterbooks model of reading a variety of books around a particular subject – such as “action and adventure”, “spine-tinglers” or “funny fiction” – has enthused children about books and encouraged them to read more.

“The skills we learn in Chatterbooks, such as making a personal response, have made pupils more confident in their literacy lessons within the classroom. It’s a great way to make reading as special as is ought to be and to enhance the profile of reading and storytelling in our school.”

Jill Parish, Thornhill Primary School, Cardiff

For more information, contact the library on 020 7364 6428

Tower Hamlets Schools Library Service now offers the following two options:

Chatterbooks Starter Package:

For schools wanting to start Chatterbooks reading clubs, this package includes:

a two-hour inset in school
leader’s handbook
10 children’s welcome packs
scrapbook for recording events at the club
evaluation survey
email updates
an additional ticket to borrow and have delivered themed collections of books to support the club from the Schools Library Service twice a term.

Chatterbooks Continuation Package:

For schools that have already run clubs and undergone training and wish to run further clubs, this basic package consists of

10 children’s welcome packs (or as many as you need)
scrapbook for recording events at the club
evaluation survey
email updates
an additional ticket to borrow and have delivered themed collections of books to support the club from the Schools Library Service twice a term.

Find these packages on “SLAonline” or for more information, contact Gillian Harris, Tel 020 7364 6428.

email: gillian.harris@towerhamlets.gov.uk,

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09/03/2016

Book Buying and Cataloguing

Book Buying

A good school library needs to be regularly replenished with new books to excite the children and old and out-of date books need to be removed. Starting with an audit of what you already have, our librarians can help you buy books to:

support your school’s curriculum
Meet OFSTED and inspection targets
support literacy schemes and Accelerated Reader
address gaps in the current collection
promote race, gender, disability, LGBT, age and class equality
Support Philosophy for Children
provide for children with special educational needs
support the Global Dimension and Black Perspectives in the curriculum
support healthy schools, anti-bullying, road safety and other initiatives

We can buy books on your behalf, or accompany you to a library supplier showroom to select books – usually at 10 – 20% discount or more.

We recommend using the processing service (book jackets, school stamp and spine labels) that most large library suppliers offer for a small additional fee. In order to make the most of this service, our librarians will classify the stock as it is selected so that the library supplier can put the correct spine label (colour and number) on each book.

Cataloguing your collection

Our professional librarians will catalogue your new and/or existing books using your school cataloguing software.

An accurate library catalogue will help:

Track pupil borrowing and reading patterns
Help you monitor reading attainment
Keep track of your book collection

Why use our cataloguing service?

A team of qualified librarians is the best choice for cataloguing your library.

Accurate and comprehensive data entry
Services, including custom key wording of all books and use of YOUR school classification schedule
Ongoing stock auditing process
Competitive prices
We will catalogue on-site OR can catalogue books at our library (no additional charge for transit)
Book processing (labelling, stamping, etc) services included
All books will be sorted and shelved at the end of the cataloguing process.

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

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

08/10/2010

eBook platform and ‘The Day’ Newspaper

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

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?
Register your staff and pupil users. Email the completed login template for eBooks platform to jacob.turner@towerhamlets.gov.uk
We will contact you to go over essential details about using the platform
Start reading!