Library News
Our libraries have continued to evolve this term, both in the stories we celebrate and the spaces in which students discover them. Book Week 2026 provided a wonderful opportunity to celebrate this year’s theme, Symphony of Stories. The theme was a great fit for our school community, reflecting the many different voices, interests and experiences that come together through books and storytelling. Just as a symphony is made up of many different parts, our libraries are places where students can discover stories that are familiar, surprising, challenging, humorous, imaginative and completely new.
Throughout Book Week, students took part in a range of creative and social activities, including Chat with an Author, bookmark making, Dress Up Day, friendship bracelet making, writing competitions and Anime Club. It was pleasing to see students joining in, sharing ideas, getting creative and enjoying the library in different ways. Book Week is always a chance to celebrate reading, but it is also about creating opportunities for students to connect with stories, with the library space and with each other.
We have been delighted to see the welcome transformation of the Senior Library with the arrival of new shelving. The change has made a huge difference to the look and feel of the space, helping the collection feel brighter, more organised and much easier to browse. The new shelving provides the library team with more opportunities to display books face out, create themed collections and highlight new and popular titles. It means more books can catch a student’s eye as they move through the library, helping to make browsing and discovering something new feel easier and more inviting.
Our collections are continuing to grow too. Alongside the development of our Humanities, Staff Learning and EAL collections across both Junior and Senior, dictionaries are now available for reference, with some also available for short term loan. After all, it is really not a library without dictionaries, is it?
Top Book Pick from the Library Team: The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
A beautifully written story for anyone who loves words, history and the stories hidden behind them. Set during the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, the novel follows Esme as she begins collecting the words that have been overlooked or left out. Thoughtful, moving and quietly powerful, this is a wonderful read about language, belonging and whose voices are remembered.
A quick reminder for students and families that books borrowed from the library remain part of the school library collection and are to be returned after the two-week loan period, unless otherwise stipulated. During Book Week, Junior students were invited to take part in our special Adopt-a-Book initiative. These books were the only exception and were given to students to keep.
Krissy Barr
Teacher Librarian