Library

Alleyn Court Library

Curiouser and curiouser!' cried Alice…

The importance of Lewis Carroll to Alleyn Court School is immeasurable, and nowhere more so than in the library.

The term 'curiouser and curiouser' has now become popular in English vocabulary, alluding to a world of untold imagination - a world you enter as you walk through the library door.  

Our library, complete with modern furniture and attractive displays has a rich variety of over 5000 fiction, nonfiction and reference materials, designed to excite, enthuse and inspire our pupils, and to promote a love of reading and books. This reflects the 2014 Libraries All Party Parliamentary Group report describing the library as ‘The Beating Heart of the School.'  

The library has an impact on learning across the curriculum, encourages independence and is particularly important in the vital task of promoting pupils’ reading…

[Good school libraries making a difference to learning, Ofsted 2006]. Our curriculum is designed to cultivate an enjoyment of learning, and a commitment to it, thus creating the right climate in which to encourage and stimulate the highest possible attainment by each of our pupils; the library is an integral part to all the learning and teaching that takes place in the school.

In addition to timetabled visits to the library for every class and year group, children have access to a library club on four morning breaks. There are also Family Open Library sessions before and after school; an opportunity for parents and children to browse, borrow and get advice from the Librarian, aiming to increase children’s confidence and enjoyment of reading, open up reading choices and a world of possibilities, and provide opportunities for shared reading experiences.

The Librarian organises regular author visits - James Mayhew, Curtis Jobling, Tom Palmer, Justin Somper, Maz Evans and Piers Torday - have provided creative, stimulating and exciting experiences for our children. We also celebrate national reading initiatives, such as World Book Day, National Share a Story Month  and Non Fiction November; it promotes local public library activities, for example the Summer Reading Challenge.