Beaumont School Library
Beaumont library is a vibrant facility that enhances and supports learning across the curriculum. It also offers a welcoming environment for students who are looking for a place to read, relax and retreat momentarily from the rigours of the school day.
Beaumont Library is not only a room filled with books, but a place that has helped me escape to other worlds all through the art of reading stories. The Library has been really important to me; I have met new people with similar interests and read a WIDE variety of books. I love the Library and the amount of effort the librarians put into encouraging students to find a book that suits them through lots of displays, events and book clubs. Year 10 student
The Beaumont Library team Ms Mayer-Khan (Head Librarian), Mrs Hicks and Mrs Shepard (Assistant Librarians) Opening hours: 8.30-16.00 Monday to Thursday and 8.30-15.30 on Fridays. You can view the current Library Lunchtime Timetable here. Homework club The Library remains open beyond the end of the school day for students who wish to complete homework. These sessions are overseen by a member of the teaching support staff. Homework club runs from 15.30 – 16.30 on Mondays to ThursdaysKey Information
We use an exciting, interactive library management system called Accessit. Students can log into Accessit at home or on any mobile device by using the Accessit web app: Students sign into the app using their Single Sign On (SSO); these are the same details they use to log into the school computers. The web app can also be found on the school portal. This easy-to-use app offers students a comprehensive range of services, allowing them to browse and explore the Library catalogue, to reserve, renew and review books, and to create their own reading ‘wish list’. We keep the web app up-to-date with the latest information, Library news, podcasts, author interviews, book recommendations, reviews and much more. A helpful How to use library web app video can also be found here, as well as the @BeauLibrary Twitter feed. Dashboards We have created a number of different dashboards on Accessit: 6th Form, EPQ Research, Public Speaking, World Book Day and Wellness. Each of these dashboards offers students helpful, at-a-glance access to a wide range of interactive resources and content supporting that particular subject or area of interest. Quick Lists To help students find books with specific genres and themes, we have compiled a series of book lists in the Quick Lists section of the web app homepage. Here, books are grouped under headings which include AR Crime and Mystery, LGBTQ+, Black Lives Matter, Sports Crazy, and Young Adult Feminist Reads. We create and add lists to this section on a regular basis, often in response to student requests. ePlatform Accessit also features an extensive ePlatform, giving students access to both fiction and nonfiction ebooks and audio books. Information about the ePlatform can be found on the web app. Borrowing rules Students can borrow a maximum of three books at any one time. Books are issued for a three-week period. Students can renew their books via the Accessit web app. We do not fine students if their books become overdue but do follow procedures in line with the school’s behaviour diamond to retrieve overdue books.Accessit – the Library at your fingertips
We have a dedicated Google Classroom called Library Matters. We use this classroom to communicate with students about loans, reservations, overdue books and to offer personalised recommendations. We encourage all students to join this classroom using the code rocskp6The Beaumont Library Google Classroom
Resources Beaumont Library offers a wide range of multi-media resources to support and encourage learning across the school curriculum: Fiction titles Our fiction catalogue caters for a wide range of interests and reading abilities. Within the fiction collection, students can browse sections with specific genres, including humour, fantasy, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, classics and graphic novels. Within these sections we carry an exciting range of dyslexia-friendly titles from the specialist publisher Barrington Stoke. We also have a ‘Short But Sweet’ collection for those who are looking for shorter reads without forfeiting interest and plot. Nonfiction/information books and resources Our nonfiction/information books are selected to support all the subjects offered at Beaumont. These include English, Science, Modern Foreign Languages, PE, Art, Drama, Economics, Geography, History, Computing, RE, Design and Technology. Issues Magazines We subscribe to Issues which is a series of resources examining a wide range of contemporary topics. They are produced specifically for schools and provide key facts and articles on social issues such as bullying, animal rights, crime and justice and global poverty. Alongside this, we subscribe to Complete Issues – Understanding Our World. These books also provide safe and reliable information, websites, graphs and statistics. We encourage students to use these publications to develop their research skills, for example, when taking part in the school’s annual Public Speaking Challenge. The digital versions of Issues and Complete Issues can be found on the Public Speaking dashboard on the Accessit web app Print journals and periodicals For our Year 12 and 13 students, we subscribe to A-Level Archive Magazines in hard-copy as well in a digital format. These include: Business Review, Chemistry Review, Economic Review, English Review, Geography Review, Modern History Review, PE Review, Physics Review, RS Review and Sociology Review. We also subscribe to EMagazine for A-level English students and History Today. Students can access digital versions of all these magazines and periodicals, as well as a wide range of other research information and material, via the Sixth Form and EPQ dashboards on Accessit. PCs We have twelve PCs for students to use during Library lessons, as well as morning and lunchtime breaks. Stocking the Library It is very important to us that Beaumont Library reflects the interests of all our students, so we encourage and welcome their book recommendations and suggestions. To ensure that the Library offers relevant resources, both fiction and nonfiction, we also consult Beaumont’s subject leaders, the wider staff as well as colleagues from other school libraries and national library groups.What you will find in the Library
Accelerated Reader and reading sessions in the Library In Year 7 and 8, all students have a dedicated weekly reading session in the Library. Students’ reading is supported by the Renaissance Place Accelerated Reader (AR) system. AR is a computer programme that measures each student’s reading ability and helps them choose and read books at a suitable level. The AR system categorises books into levels of difficulty, based on the complexity of the text. This enables teachers and Library staff to match books to each student’s individual reading ability, ensuring they make the greatest progress with their reading skills. The programme offers a comprehensive catalogue of book quizzes which measure a student’s comprehension and allow us to monitor their independent reading practice and progress. The librarians play an intrinsic part in AR lessons: helping students to choose books, monitoring their reading and quizzing, and running a bronze/silver/gold awards scheme to reward students’ reading efforts. Word of the Week To encourage students to widen their vocabulary, the Library runs a Word of the Week (WOW) challenge in the AR lessons. We ask Year 7 and 8 students to look out for new and interesting words in whatever they’re reading and to submit one Word of the Week suggestion per term. Each week, we pick one WOW each from Year 7 and Year 8 and post that word on our Instagram page with the hashtag #wowbeaumont. At the end of term we display every word sent in by students on our colourful WOW board in the Library. Lessons in the Library Due to the space and the number of computers available, the Library can be used for lessons during the school day. As well as the Accelerated Reader reading sessions here, teachers also run research-based lessons requiring non-fiction resources, for example, history projects, EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) work and public speaking. Our SEN (Special Educational Needs) department often use the Library to run sessions for students working in small groups.Supporting learning
We have a wide selection of books in the Library to support our students’ wellbeing and mental health. Alongside this we have created a Wellness eBook Collection which can be found on the World Book Day and Wellness dashboard on the Accessit web app. This comprises ebooks on areas including Anxiety, Gender Identity, Self Esteem and Exam Stress.Words and wellbeing
Beaumont Library is a roomy, vibrant space which is ideal for hosting reading clubs, author visits and other book events. Beaumont Book Clubs and encouraging reading In the Library, we have a range of activities to encourage our students to read for pleasure. We run lunchtime book clubs for students to read and share their thoughts and ideas. The emphasis of these clubs is on having fun and developing a joy of reading. We devise games and activities that always prompt boisterous sessions! Book club students are also given the opportunity to interview visiting writers. Book awards We follow and participate in various national children’s young adult book awards, including the Children’s Book Award and the CILIP Carnegie Medal. These award websites offer a fantastic range of resources to inspire readers. The Library also plays a key role in the school’s whole school read initiative, which we call Beaumont Reads. At the start of each academic year, we choose a young adult fiction title and encourage as many students, family members and staff as possible to read, review and discuss that book. This scheme is led by our literacy co-ordinator and supported with activities across different subject areas. Our whole school read books have included: Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan, I Have No Secrets by Penny Joelson, Animal Farm by George Orwell and The Boxer by Nikesh Shukla. We display all the students’ book reviews and related Beaumont Reads work in the Library and around the school. Author visits As often as possible, we invite authors to visit Beaumont. During these visits, the authors address the students, talk about their work and the inspiration behind their books. These sessions are always popular with the students and are an excellent way to spark interest in books and engage students in reading. Visiting writers have included Ali Sparkes, Sarah Crossan, Tom Pollock, Penny Joelson, Cliff McNish and Richard Blair, son of Animal Farm author, George Orwell. Having fun! We run regular book-based competitions and reward schemes to engage students and encourage participation in Library events. While we do run silent study periods during some morning and lunch breaks, students also use the Library to socialise and play chess.Books and beyond
Student librarians and parent helpers We encourage students to help in the Library. We recruit student librarians who are trained to use the Accessit management system to issue and return books. Sixth formers also come during the lunch break to shelve books and do other tasks that keep the Library running smoothly. Alongside the students, we are fortunate to have a team of parent volunteers who generously give up their time to help in the Library.
Beaumont Library on social media The Library is very active on Twitter and Instagram. This is where we publish Library news, information on events and author visits, book reviews and much more. Please take a look! Twitter: @BeauLibrary Instagram: beaumontschool.library
Contacting the Library Beaumont Library email: library@beaumont.school