Encouraging Lifelong Readers and Learners

Library Support Work

Warwickshire Schools Library Service: Great School Libraries Project

Schools in Nuneaton and Bedworth borough to receive dedicated reading support thanks to new ‘Great School Libraries’ project.

A new project will see Warwickshire Schools Library Service (SLS) supporting a number of schools in the Nuneaton and Bedworth area to help their pupils improve their reading and learning. Called ‘Warwickshire Great School Libraries’, and complementing Warwickshire County Council’s Nuneaton Education Strategy, the three-year project will benefit pupils at Nathaniel Newton Infant School in Hartshill, Middlemarch Junior School in Nuneaton and Keresley Newland Primary Academy.

Each school will receive bulk book collection loans and equipment from the Schools Library Service and digital support and visits from a library specialist, who will work in their school libraries on a regular basis in the coming months as this becomes possible. Michael Drayton Junior School in Hartshill will also work with the project, providing a mentoring role and staff to assist the other schools involved.

The ‘Warwickshire Great School Libraries’ project, which will run for three academic years from September 2020 to July 2023, has been funded by a grant of £77,050 from Warwickshire County Council’s Early intervention, Prevention and Community Capacity Fund. By providing staff support to run their school libraries, increasing opportunities for pupils to read for pleasure and more widely, and establishing of a culture of reading in the schools, the aim is to raise reading and learning attainment levels, particularly among those pupils that are not achieving the required levels at Key Stages 1 and 2.

The project will also provide opportunities for pupils to improve their reading fluency and comprehension skills, with access to promotional activities run by the Schools Library Service as well as other national reading promotions. It is hoped that, by the end of the project, the schools will feel equipped and confident enough to continue the work in the future, and there will be a full evaluation of the success of the project at the end of the three years.

Stella Thebridge, School Library Service Manager and Project Manager said: 

“This is a wonderful opportunity for the SLS to make a real difference in these schools and hopefully to enable them and others further down the line to reap the benefits of support for reading initiatives and the regular influx of high quality and engaging reading material going into primary schools.”

Councillor Kam Kaur, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Customer and Transformation, said: 

“Warwickshire County Council is pleased to support these schools to become self-supporting in their reading work with their pupils, and we hope this contributes to the aims and outcomes of the Nuneaton Education Strategy over the longer term.”

Please do get in touch with us if you would like more information about this or any of the other services that we can offer: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk 

Library Management Systems - We can help!

At WSLS, we have a range of experience in using different systems and can provide you with help and support. We recommend a computerised library management system (LMS).

Benefits include:

• Improves the effectiveness of your library: helps pupils and staff find books more easily and simplifies recording of loans
• Saves you time as it can help with cataloguing books by downloading book information from a central system
• Enables you to locate and track your stock more easily and minimise the loss of books
• Provides you with useful information about library use and book issuing data
• Helps develop pupils' independent library skills and greater ownership of their library

WSLS can help provide you with information about the different options available and what might best suit the needs of your school and your budget. For more information about different computerised systems please open the following link.

Your SLS Fiction loan

During the summer term we'll be busy putting together fiction loans for our subscribing schools. As part of the subscription package, schools receive a loan of fiction books to use in the school library for reading for pleasure. Every year we swap half of this loan, sending out new titles to refresh your school library. It is a really great and easy way to get new books into the school library. The loans vary depending on the size of the school and range from 250 books to 800 books.

Did you know that if you have a fiction loan from us you can tailor it to your needs? We hand pick every loan and send out a request form in advance of your loan been selected and delivered.  This means that if you have a specific requirement within your school, you can specify that you require books to help you with this.

We have a great range of stock here at SLS, from old favourites to the latest bestsellers, and what is great about our loans is that you will receive a wide and varied selection of books. We also provide recreational non-fiction titles for those pupils who enjoy facts and hobbies. We have a selection of dual language titles and also a selection of books for reluctant readers so do make sure you let us know if you would like any of these. You are also welcome to visit us here at SLS and pick your own loan!

If you would like to know more and make sure you are making the most of your fiction loan please do get in touch, we are happy to help!

schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk

SLS-UK School Library Award

We are delighted to offer schools in Warwickshire the opportunity to accredit their library service via our national award scheme.

The SLS School Library Award was initiated by Warwickshire Schools Library Service in 2012. It is now available nationally, via the Association of Senior Education and Children’s Librarians (ASCEL), administered locally by individual SLSs.  We are delighted that the School Library Association (SLA) the School Library Group (SLG) and the Society of Chief Librarians (SCL) have endorsed the new Award.

 Any primary or secondary school may apply to work towards achieving the main award or the Gold version for high-achieving services.

The award is a self-assessment process conducted by the designated member of staff in charge of the library and endorsed by the Head teacher. It is an audit of 20 key activities with supporting documentation where necessary. Schools note across three levels (developing, establishing and enhancing) how their library service is operating across a range of activities and services.

An award is given to a school where the library is achieving 10 or more separate activities or services in the ‘establishing’ and/or ‘enhancing’ category. A Gold award is given for 15 or more services in the ‘enhancing’ category.

The awards are a brilliant opportunity for library staff to obtain a certificate that acknowledges the fantastic work that they do each day in the school library.

How do I apply?
There is a very small administrative cost for participation. If you would like to know more, please contact us: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk

Schools achieving SLS-UK School Library Award and former Warwickshire SLS School Library Award:
Abbotts Farm Junior                                     Adderley Primary (Birmingham)
Alcester Academy (revalidated)                   Alcester Grammar School
Alsager School (Cheshire)                           Aylesford
Bilton                                                            Bilton Junior
Bridgetown Primary                                     Campion
Cheney Primary (Oxon)                               Haselor Primary
Internat School Aberdeen                            James Young High (West Lothian)
Kineton                                                         King Edward VI Stratford
King’s Heath Boys (Birmingham)                 Kings High
Kings Norton Girls School (Birmingham)     Kingsley
Lillington Primary                                         Marlborough Junior (Birmingham)
Myton (revalidated)                                      Orchard Academy (Milton Keynes )
Polesworth                                                   Princethorpe College
Rugby High                                                  Stockingford Primary
Stratford upon Avon                                     Stratford Girls Grammar
Stratford Primary                                          Walsall Academy
Warwick School                                            Wyndcliffe Primary (Birmingham)

The Journey of a Project Box

Over the autumn the team at Warwickshire Schools Library Service were busy hand selecting resources for the green project collections for delivery at the start of term. We send out around 700 boxes a term to both primary and secondary schools.

That is as high as Mount Etna if we stacked them back to back!

A huge amount of resources to support reading and learning and we think that they have a great impact on pupils, inspiring a love of reading, learning and a very hands on approach to topic work. The following film shows you the journey of a project box and will give you a really lovely idea as to what a project collection could look like, how we put it together and the impact it can have on the classroom. 

Warwickshire Junior Book Award 2023

We are delighted to reveal the shortlist for the Junior Book Award 2023. Our team have carefully selected some of the best books published in the last year. The award is aimed at Years 5 and 6 and is a great way to support reading for pleasure and enrich pupils' reading experiences.

• The Whisperling by Hayley Hoskins
• Grandpa Frank’s Great Big Bucket List by Jenny Pearson
• The Unmorrow Curse by Jasmine Richards
• Ajay and the Mumbai Sun by Varsha Shah

We will be hosting a final ceremony for schools to attend on Thursday 29th June, 10am-12.30pm at The Benn Hall, Rugby. We have invited all the authors too. We are looking forward to seeing you all. 

Please get in touch with us for further information. Email: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk

Sign-up now! Warwickshire Secondary Book Award 2023

We are delighted to announce the shortlist for our Warwickshire Secondary Book Award 2023 (WSBA23).

Our team, with the help of our secondary school librarians, have selected a list of 6 fantastic books published within the last year. We are sure these will engage and inspire students to read for pleasure. All schools across Warwickshire are invited to take part in our book award, which is aimed at years 7/8. Students read all 6 books over the spring term and vote for their favourite in March 2023. Schools and shortlisted authors are invited to attend our final award ceremony towards the end of March, which is always a lovely celebration.

The shortlist is as follows: 

• While the Storm Rages by Phil Earle
• The Climbers by Keith Gray
• Dreadwood by Jennifer Killick
• Hide and Seek by Robin Scott-Elliot 
• The Memory Thieves by Darren Simpson
• The Summer We Turned Green by William Sutcliffe 

For more information on how to take part in the WSBA 2023, please contact schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk 

Warwickshire Teen Book Award (WTBA) 2022 Shortlist

The students took part in speed shortlisting events during September and have voted for their favourite books. We are happy to announce the shortlist and look forward to announcing the winner in December.

Many congratulations to the shortlisted authors. To find out more, click on the links below:

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

The Upper World by Femi Fadugba

The Outlaws Scarlett & Browne by Jonathan Stroud

Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor

For more information, please contact: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk 

Warwickshire Junior Book Award (WJBA) 2022 Winner

Warwickshire Schools Library Service are delighted to announce the 2022 Junior Book Award Winner for primary pupils in Years 5 and 6 (#WJBA2022). Our experienced team carefully selected the shortlist which is handed over to pupils who get to read four of the most exciting books published during 2021 and then vote for their favourite towards the end of June 2022. 

From the shortlist of 'Twitch' by M.G. Leonard, 'The Chime Seekers' by Ross Montgomery, 'The Valley of Lost Secrets' by Lesley Parr and 'Children of the Quicksands' by Efua Traoré, this year's winner is: 

• The Chime Seekers - Ross Montgomery

Many CONGRATULATIONS go to Ross Montgomery and illustrator David Dean, along with the team at Walker Books.

This award takes place every year and is open to all schools to take part.

The WJBA supports the curriculum (and Ofsted initiatives) in the following areas:
• Promotes reading for pleasure and encourages book chat
• Encourages literacy across the curriculum due to the subject nature of the books
• Provides an opportunity for pupils to have an independent choice of reading material
• Introduces pupils to a new range of authors and texts, supporting their wider reading opportunities

Benefits of taking part:
• Reading and voting on four top reads (pupils really do decide the winner!)
• Open discussions, often pupil led
• Teachers/librarians as co-readers (a wonderful opportunity for modelling!)
• Teacher toolkit to help pupils make the most of taking part
• Exciting competitions to enter
• WJBA shortlist posters and bookmarks for your school/pupils.
• Invitation to our Final Awards Ceremony at The Bridge House Theatre, Warwick. 

If you would like more information about how to take part, please email schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk

Warwickshire Secondary Book Award (WSBA) 2022 Winner

We had a wonderful time at our Secondary Book Award ceremony last week celebrating all the shortlisted books. We were very lucky to hear all the authors speak about their books and what inspired them and we also had the opportunity to ask them questions. Alex Wheatle, Geraldine McCaughrean and Kate Mallinder were all able to join us in person. Liz Kessler, Brian Conaghan and Padraig Kenny all joined us live virtually.

Students from across Warwickshire have been reading all the shortlisted books over the last few months and voted for their favourite. The winning book was 'When the World Was Ours' by Liz Kessler. Inspired by a true story, this is a powerful and heart-breaking novel about 3 young friends before and during the Second World War. Their lives take very different paths but their fates are closely intertwined. An extremely thought-provoking story and a timely reminder that we must not forget the atrocities of the second world war and we should do all we can to prevent them from happening again.    Here is a lovely message from the winning author:

Thank you so much to everyone who read, enjoyed and voted for my book as the winner of this lovely award. I have to say, getting acknowledgement like this from young people themselves means more than anything. I want my book - the story, the characters and the themes - to reach young people far and wide, so to know that it's been received with the same kind of love that I put into writing it is everything I could want. Thank you again and I'm sending my best wishes and biggest smiles to you all.
Liz Kessler xx

Here are a few photos of the ceremony and the authors.

Picture 1: Liz Kessler on stage virtually. Picture 2: Kate Mallinder, Geraldine McCaughrean and Alex Wheatle. Picture 3: Alex Wheatle on stage.

We are very grateful to all the students who took part and the librarians that supported them. Thanks also to all the authors, publisher, Warwick Books and the Bridge House Theatre at Warwick School for all their support.

If you would like more information about our book awards or other ways we support schools with reading for pleasure and learning then please get in touch. Email: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk

WJBA Previous Winners

We are very proud of our three Warwickshire Book Awards, which we run annually. Our trained and experienced library team carefully select the shortlisted books. Pupils/students read these books and vote for their favourite. The winner is decided solely by them, and we think this makes our Awards special! Schools from across Warwickshire take part and are invited to the Final Award Ceremony for two of the Awards (WJBA and WSBA), where we invite the shortlisted authors to attend. This is always a lovely event and a fantastic celebration of reading that we hope inspires young people across Warwickshire.

The Awards are aimed at the following year groups:

• Warwickshire Junior Book Award (WJBA): Years 5/6 (Summer Term)
• Warwickshire Secondary Book Award (WSBA): Years 7/8 (Spring Term)
• Warwickshire Teen Book Award (WTBA): Year 9 (Autumn Term)

If you would like more information about them, please get in touch with us at: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk

See Below for our previous Award Winners:

Warwickshire Junior Book Award

2021 Winner:  The Soup Movement By Ben Davis

Voyage of the Sparrowhawk by Natasha Farra

When Life Gives You Mangoes by Kereen Getten

 The Wild Way Home by Sophie Kirtley

2020 Winner:  D-Day Dog by Tom Palmer

Swimming Against the Storm by Jess Butterworth

Runaway Robot by Frank Cottrell-Boyce

Wildspark by Vashti Hardy

2019 Winner:   The Secret of the Night Train by Sylvia Bishop

Running on Empty by S.E. Durrant

The Skylarks’ War by Hilary McKay

The Last Chance Hotel by Nicki Thornton

WSBA Previous Winners

We are very proud of our three Warwickshire Book Awards, which we run annually. Our trained and experienced library team carefully select the shortlisted books. Pupils/students read these books and vote for their favourite. The winner is decided solely by them, and we think this makes our Awards special! Schools from across Warwickshire take part and are invited to the Final Award Ceremony for two of the Awards (WJBA and WSBA), where we invite the shortlisted authors to attend. This is always a lovely event and a fantastic celebration of reading that we hope inspires young people across Warwickshire.

The Awards are aimed at the following year groups:

• Warwickshire Junior Book Award (WJBA): Years 5/6 (Summer Term)
• Warwickshire Secondary Book Award (WSBA): Years 7/8 (Spring Term)
• Warwickshire Teen Book Award (WTBA): Year 9 (Autumn Term)

If you would like more information about them, please get in touch with us at: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk

See Below for our previous Award Winners:

 Warwickshire Secondary Book Award

2021 Winner: The Last Paper Crane by Kerry Drewery

Nothing Ever Happens Here by Sarah Hagger-Holt

Deeplight by Frances Hardinge

That Time I Got Kidnapped by Tom Mitchell

Gloves Off by Louisa Reid

The Enigma Game by Elizabeth Wein

2020 Winner: Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow by Siobhan Curham

The Girl Who Came out of the Woods by Emily Barr

One Shot by Tanya Landman

The Gift, the Talented and Me by William Sutcliffe              

Mud by Emily Thomas

Paper Avalanche by Lisa Williamson

2019 Winner: S.T.A.G.S. BY M.A. Bennett

Wolf Children by Paul Dowswell

Boy 87 by Ele Fountain

I Am Thunder and I Won’t Keep Quiet by Muhammad Khan

The Nearest Far Away Place by Hayley Long

Rook by Anthony McGowan

WTBA Previous Winners

We are very proud of our three Warwickshire Book Awards, which we run annually. Our trained and experienced library team carefully select the shortlisted books. Pupils/students read these books and vote for their favourite. The winner is decided solely by them, and we think this makes our Awards special! Schools from across Warwickshire take part and are invited to the Final Award Ceremony for two of the Awards (WJBA and WSBA), where we invite the shortlisted authors to attend. This is always a lovely event and a fantastic celebration of reading that we hope inspires young people across Warwickshire.

The Awards are aimed at the following year groups:

• Warwickshire Junior Book Award (WJBA): Years 5/6 (Summer Term)
• Warwickshire Secondary Book Award (WSBA): Years 7/8 (Spring Term)
• Warwickshire Teen Book Award (WTBA): Year 9 (Autumn Term)

If you would like more information about them, please get in touch with us at: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk

See Below for our previous Award Winners:

Warwickshire Teen Book Award

2021 Winner: The Island by C.L.Taylor

Boy I Am by K.L. Kettle

One in a Hundred Thousand by Linni Ingemundsen

Wrecked by Louisa Reid

2020 Winner: That Asian Kid by Savita Kalhan

Summerland by Lucy Adlington 

Bearmouth by Liz Hyder  

Run Rebel by Manjeet Mann

2019 Winner: The Truth About Lies by Tracy Darnton

The Twisted Tree by Rachel Burge

Killer T by Robert Muchamore

The Survival Game by Nicky Singer

Primary School Subscriptions

What does a subscription with us look like? 
A subscription with us will give you an overall loan of fiction books for your library and a number of project loans that can be used within classrooms. Our prices range from £450 upwards and to give you an idea, our most popular Primary Subscription is Young Shoots which is ideal for up to 200 pupils. This annual subscription would cost you in the region of £1,610 and give you 21 project collections (7 boxes a term) and an annual reading for pleasure loan of 350 books.

Everything we do is to encourage lifelong readers and learners:

Project Collections:
These are hand picked by our team from the information that you give us about your topic, so they can be as specific as you require. Project collections are delivered to you at the beginning of each term and collected again at the end of the term. We will often try and incorporate an artefact or photo pack into each box, alongside your book resources. We want learning to be as hands on as possible so please encourage your pupils to examine, pick up and use the artefacts that we send to you. Find out more about the journey of a project box here:

Reading For Pleasure Loans: The fiction loan is sent at the beginning of your academic year, again this is hand picked by our team to your specific requirements and we will include a percentage of non-fiction for you too. You are able to swap half of the collection back with us half way through the year, a great way to refresh your books and keep your pupils reading a wide variety of reading materials throughout the year. We also have a new Reading for Pleasure Subscription which primary schools are benefiting from.

In addition to all of that there are also 'Bolt-on' extras that you can use and take advantage of, for example our useful advisory visits, library work, reduced rates for our training programme and exciting reading events. 

We have a variety of subscription options, it is always worth getting in touch with us to find out what might be the best match for you and how we can work within your budgets.
Email us at: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk

Secondary School Subscriptions

What does a subscription with us look like?
A subscription with us will give you an overall loan of fiction books for your library and a number of project loans. We find that our secondary school subscribers tend to use our services slightly differently choosing very bespoke subscriptions and tailoring their choices to suit the specific needs of their school and students.

Everything we do is to encourage lifelong readers and learners: 

Project Collections:
These are all hand picked by our team from the information that you give us about your topic, so they can be as specific as you require. A few examples of the project collections that we have been asked to supply recently are; wellbeing sets to support SMSC, World War Two, Slavery and Gender Identity, but the list is endless. 
Project Collections are delivered to you at the beginning of each term and collected again at the end of the term. We will often try to incorporate an artefact or photo pack into each box, alongside your book resources. We want learning to be as hands on as possible so please encourage your students to examine, pick up and use the artefacts that we send to you. 

Reading for Pleasure Loan:
The fiction loan is sent at the beginning of your academic year, again this is hand picked by our team to your specific requirements and we will include a percentage of non-fiction for you too. You are able to swap half of the collection back with us half way through the year, a great way to refresh your books and keep your students reading a wide variety of reading material throughout the year. We also have a NEW Reading for Pleasure Subscription that many schools are benefiting from.

In addition to all of that there are also 'bolt-on' extras that you can use and take advantage of, for example our useful advisory visits, library work, reduced rates for our training programmes.
We offer a variety of subscription options, it is always worth getting in touch with us to find out what might be the best match for you and how we can help to work within your budgets.
Email us at: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk

Encouraging Lifelong Readers and Learners

The Journey of a Project Box

Each term the team at Warwickshire SLS are busy hand selecting resources for the green project collections for delivery at the start of term. We send out around 700 boxes a term to both primary and secondary schools.

That is as high as Mount Etna if we stacked them back to back!
A huge amount of resources to support reading and learning, and we think that they have a great impact on pupils, inspiring a love of reading, learning and a very hands on approach to topic work.

The following film shows you the journey of a project box and will give you a really lovely idea as to what a project collection could look like, how we put it together and the impact it can have on the classroom:

Not sure whether to subscribe? Try one of our TERM TASTERS....

Our TERM TASTERS are specially tailored to meet your schools needs. These are a great way to try our service without committing to an annual subscription. 

You can choose from: 

4 project boxes for the term: £240
                      OR
7 project boxes for the term: £420

What will your project box contain?
-   At least 20 books
-   An artefact or whiteboard resource (at no extra cost) as available and applicable.

We select each box afresh for every loan ensuring appropriateness to the topic requested and key stage.

To register your interest or sign up for a Term Taster please follow this link

Reading for Pleasure Subscriptions for Primary Schools

We have been offering our secondary school subscribers a great reading for pleasure subscription for some time now and we wanted to extend this to primary schools. This is an annual offer for just £450 and includes a loan of 100 fiction books as part of the subscription. (See leaflet below for everything that is included in the offer)

These books handpicked by our team to your specification so will meet your pupils reading habits and curriculum needs. We know, as you do just how important reading for pleasure is and the huge difference that positive reading experiences can have on pupils, this subscriptions will help in these areas whilst also providing an added breadth to your existing library resources. Get in touch with us if you would like to sign up or find out more. You can email us here: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire/gov.uk

Next Primary and Secondary Network Meetings

Secondary Network Meetings

• Thursday 18th May 2023, 2.30pm-3.20pm

We will be meeting at a local secondary school. A great opportunity to see another school's library, share ideas and network.

• Thursday 22nd June 2023

- Teen Book Award 2023 Shortlisting: 1pm-2.30pm

- Network Meeting: 3pm-4pm

Primary Network Meetings

• Tuesday 6th June, 3.30pm-4.30pm

Join us for a free virtual workshop on Oral Storytelling. Please click on this link to register.

Oral Storytelling: Exploring simple techniques and ways to learn, shape and tell stories with Kate Coleman

For more information, email: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk

'Help! I'm Running a Library' Training Course: Sign-up now for our September 2023 course

Are you responsible for running the primary or secondary school library at your school?

Join us for our next, 'Help! I'm Running a Library Course.' It is a great opportunity to gain knowledge, skills and confidence in the day-to-day running of the library.

Date/Time: Tuesday 26th September 2023: 9.30am-12.30pm
Price: WSLS Subscribers: £55
           Non WSLS Subscribers: £85
Venue: Warwickshire Schools Library Service Unit 4, WCC Hawkes Point,1 Hawkes Drive, Heathcote Ind. Estate, CV34 6LX 

Feedback from previous participants:

'Was just so nice to listen to people so knowledgeable with real solutions as I just don’t have time to do all that research on top of my job.'

'I have been inspired to think about how I can improve my library and what is important in there.'

'It was very useful discussing with other schools what their library looked like and included as it made me reflect on our library and what my next steps should be.'  

You can sign-up by filling in the form here: https://forms.office.com/e/HWQVAwLXu8 

For more information, please email schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk

Encouraging Lifelong Readers and Learners

Useful Items to Buy

Items to help you with your general library maintenance:

Two A3 Posters: A colour coded chart listing the main subject areas in each Dewey Decimal Class and a 'How to find a non-fiction book poster
Cost: £10 for both items
Please email us for more information: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk

Library Spine Labels: Mainly used within primary schools, each colour represents a different Decimal Dewey Class. (We can provide you with all of the colours shown within the Decimal Dewey poster pictured above.)
Cost: 75p for each sheet (ten labels)

Please email us for more information about these: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk

Reading Support Pack:

Full of ideas for making the most of picture books to encourage the development of reading for pleasure and related skills, such as visual literacy and creativity. This pack can be sent to you electronically or printed versions are also available - please get in touch with us if you would like further information or to see a few samples.

 Please get in touch if you would like to know more: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk 

A Selection of Our Resources

We have a vast collection of artefacts, photo packs, whiteboard resources and story-sacks here at WSLS, here is a small selection of our favourites:
Artefacts to Support Curriculum Topics:

White Board Resources:

Story Sack Collections:

Empathy and Wellbeing

Recent studies have shown that reading for pleasure builds empathy and improves wellbeing. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another and helps us to connect to each other. When we identify with a book character we learn to see things from other points of view.

Here at SLS we have been developing our resources so we can provide you with fantastic books and artefacts to promote mental health and wellbeing with your pupils. 

We have lots of non fiction books looking at feelings, self esteem, confidence and mental health.  We have new picture books that cover topics such as depression, being different and how we feel.  We have recently added conversation cubes and How We Feel prompt cards to our collection, and of course there is our huge range of junior and teen fiction that covers a wide range of different mental health topics. You can find out more about our 'Feel Good Reads' here

For more information about requesting and accessing these resources please contact us on schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk or 01926 413461

Useful Resources for Learning at Home

Our team at Warwickshire Schools Library Service have been putting together some really lovely resources for our schools.
Here is a topic card that we have put together specifically for VE Day:

We have been particularly thinking about useful resources for learning at home and for those that may not always have access to digital content. We wanted to share some of that with you here: 

        
Please click on the thumbnail images to open larger PDFs of these files, for you to print, save, share with each other. Our subscribers will also find Topic Card resources on a specific area of out website. 

We have also contributed reading-based activities and resource links to learning projects being compiled by a Birmingham-based Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) @RobinHoodTrust  We are really pleased to have worked with them to add reading support to the next lot of #TheLearningProjects that are being made available to any school that wishes to use them. 

The full learning projects will be available from: www.robinhoodmat.co.uk/learning-projects

The projects, created by Robin Hood MAT, cover the whole curriculum and will provide parents overseeing their children’s home learning with a range of activities for primary-school-aged children over an eight-week period. The Trust, based in Hall Green, Birmingham, previously created projects for use by parents and other schools for the first 8 weeks after the lockdown began. These went on to be shared widely across social media and used by more than 200 schools and local authorities across the UK. Contributions to the projects have also been made by the York-based STEM Learning organisation.

Our Bespoke Book Selection Service

Use our expert knowledge to find the books that you need for your pupils. We can suggest and select resources to support many areas including: 
Accelerated Reader sets
Guided reading
Class reading sets
Books to support well-being and mental health
Reading supports for specific age groups and reading levels
Get in touch to give us an idea of what you are looking for and we will do the work for you!

Votes for Women!

The year 2018 marked 100 years since the Representation of the People Act 1918 which gave women over the age of 30 the right to vote.

We can help you celebrate here at SLS with a fantastic selection of books about Women's Suffrage, Voting and Political Systems and books about famous women past and present.

Grace Darling, Emily Davison and Rosa Parks are just a few of the Great Women who have changed the world and contributed to History.

Email us at schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk to enquire about our subscription choices.

NEW 'Feel Good' Reading Sets

We have created some fantastic new 'Feel Good' Reading Lists for primary and secondary schools and we think these books are just the thing to engage, enthuse and make your pupils laugh and feel good. Developed to support the pure pleasure of getting lost in a good book and ideal for use in a classroom reading corner or whole library space. There are 4 different lists covering Years 3-9.

You can download and print the posters below for free. Just click on the images below:

Years 3/4                  Years 5/6                 Years 7/8                  Year 9

Please get in touch with us if you have any questions or if we can help in any way:

schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk

Recommended Reads KS2

We have a bumper crop of books to recommend for children across the whole of KS2. This has been created to suit all abilities and interests and with a mix of best loved classics and recent titles. Including quick reads, graphic novels and lengthy titles to curl up with, we're sure there will be something for everyone. As ever, many titles are available on BorrowBox from Warwickshire Libraries. Click on the image for the full list. Which are your favourites?

Recommended Reads for Years 7 & 8

There are books to suit all sorts in our brand new recommended reads list for Years 7 and 8 pupils. Sometimes something challenging and more grown up - but not too grown up - is required and sometimes what's needed is to go down a well-trodden path and read something familiar. Or maybe somewhere in between. This list has something for all and we hope it is useful. As ever, check out the pages of BorrowBox from Warwickshire Libraries for titles available to read for free! Click on the image for the full list.

Recommended Reads for Year 9

A fantastic range of top titles grace the pages of our recommendations for those in Year 9. Re-imagined classics, rapid reads, series and graphic novels are just some of the topics included. Selected to suit a range of interests and abilities, we are sure there is something for everyone. Many titles are available for free on BorrowBox from Warwickshire Libraries. Please share with your students. Click on the image for the full list.

Year 6 Transition Reads

Take a look at the list of fantastic titles we've put together for Year 6 pupils to read during their transition from primary to secondary school. A mix of non-fiction and fiction titles; offering glimpses into what is to come, hints and tips and school tales - from overcoming nerves at a new school to challenging yourself to achieve big things. Many titles may already on the bookshelf, with now the perfect time for a re-read. Many are available on BorrowBox with Warwickshire Libraries. There's something for everyone!

First Reading Adventure!

We are really excited to be able to share our First Reading Adventure with you. This is a reading engagement package for Years 1 and 2 to promote:

• sharing of books
• recent and fun picture books
• themes of well-being and empathy
• first steps in reading

Our adventure will take children on a journey to greater understanding of themselves and the world around them as well as increasing their confidence with books and early reading.
The high quality texts, chosen by Warwickshire SLS staff, will engage children of all abilities by their attractive design, quality illustrations and exciting narratives.

What do teachers that have been using it say? 
'...a great selection of books that the children have really enjoyed listening to. We have had some lovely discussions sparked by the topics in the books, particularly when it comes to protecting our planet. Some of the children have enjoyed doing their own book reviews after they have chosen to read a book independently. 
The book activity cards with a brief overview and activity ideas have also been useful.'
Mrs Helen Everley
Head Teacher
Henley Montessori Primary

How does it work?
Warwickshire SLS arranges for the books to be delivered to your school (30 new books for you to keep), designed to be used over thirty weeks of the year (10 a term) but schools can use the books in any way they choose. The books come jacketed to make them both easy to clean and long-lasting, making bent corners and scuff marks a thing of the past. 
A pack will be sent to the named school contact electronically. It will include a quick guide for staff or volunteers, including activities and curriculum links, and ideas for parents. It will also have copiable promotional materials (pdfs) to keep the pupils engaged in a fun way, which will be emailed to you when you buy the pack. 

Why is it needed?

• There is increasing concerns among educators and from the government to have books available that both inspire children to read more and more widely.
• This will help them to engage in a wider understanding of the world and to develop a sense of empathy for other people.
• Many parents and early years’ settings are asking for recommendations of appropriate texts to share with very young children around issues that might be quite difficult to discuss – loss, family changes, first experiences – as well as books that are simply a joy to read!
• Staff in settings and schools do not always have the time to research and select these books themselves. Our team of staff at Warwickshire SLS select books for school on a daily basis and have many years of collective experience.
• This pack from Warwickshire SLS provides your school with brand new books for your school to keep. They are there for you when you are ready to add them in to your topics with Year 1 or 2 and we are confident these titles are timeless in their appeal. They may also meet curriculum needs. 
• The selection of books will fulfil your need for ready-to-use stock without the headache of having to select and order books yourselves.

Costs:

• The First Reading Adventure pack price for one set of the 30 books with jackets, plus accompanying materials and pdfs is £250
• Further sets of the 30 books may be bought for £200

If you are interested please fill out our online form and we will send you all the books and information that you will need to take part.

If you would like to get in touch with us to find out more information, please email us here: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk

Register Now for our Year 4 Reading Celebration 2023!

This is really popular with schools and a lovely way to celebrate reading and support Government objectives and your own work encouraging reading for pleasure in school. We hope to inspire young pupils to enjoy reading and to use their school and local libraries.

Participating pupils will be asked to borrow and read any four books from their local library and record their thoughts in a specially designed Reading Log, which will be sent to schools in January 2023. These could be physical books or e-books. Your whole Y4 class/year can take part and there will be a whole class creative challenge in response to their reading.

Your school will select a team of four pupils to attend a Final Celebration Event that will take place in March 2023, week commencing 13th March. The class team will have the opportunity share the class creative challenge work at the beginning of this event. Teams will take part in a fun book-related quiz and compete against other schools in the County. The winning team will be presented with a trophy to keep and display at school and each winning team member will receive a Star Reader medal and goody bag. All participating Year 4 pupils will also receive a certificate. 

The COST to take part is £40 for WSLS subscribing schools and £50 for non-subscribing schools. This price includes 30 Reading Logs, a Toolkit and an invitation for your school team of four pupils to attend the Final Celebration Event. You can purchase additional Reading Logs at a cost of £1 per pupil if required. 

PLEASE CLICK HERE AND FILL OUT THE FORM IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SCHOOL TO TAKE PART.

Any questions, please get in touch with us at schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk

Please visit our website to find out more about what we do.

Previous Recommended Reads

For our previous book recommendations please take a look at our back issues pages.  This can be found at the bottom of this page, please select the edition you want and click go!