Skip to content ↓

Learning Resource Centre

“There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.”

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

 

LRC Coordinator - Ms K Quiqley

Introduction

At St Mark’s, the Learning Resource Centre is a warm, welcoming and vibrant community where books are valued, reading is celebrated, and learning lies at the heart of students’ pursuit of academic excellence. It is an environment that nurtures curiosity, independence, and a life long love of reading.

The LRC is a learning hub, stocked with an extensive collection of junior and senior fiction and non-fiction books. Students have access to a wide selection of reading and research materials, including graphic novels, daily newspapers, magazines, journals, reference books and digital resources.  The centre is fully equipped with a computer suite, access to two trolleys of Chromebooks, a comfortable soft-seating reading area, and dedicated desk space for classes attending library lessons, tutor time reading sessions and independent research.

Aims

The centre aims to provide a diverse range of resources for pupils of all ages, abilities and interests, supporting research and independent study while also fostering a lifelong love of reading for pleasure. 

Our aims are to promote academic excellence by:

  • Providing an extensive range of learning resources to support wider reading, research and independent study

  • Offering a calm, purposeful and supportive environment  in which students can flourish 

  • Encouraging a love of reading, intellectual curiosity and a passion for learning 

  • Ensuring all students have access to high quality study materials to  support achievement and aspiration

  • Supporting teaching and learning across departments through the provision of curriculum-related resources and materials  

Using the LRC

All members of our school community, students and staff, are members of the Learning Resource Centre. 

Borrowing:

  • KS3 students may borrow up to 3 books for a period of two weeks
  • KS4 and Sixth Form students may borrow up to 6 books for a period of two weeks
  • Books may be renewed via the Accessit Library App or by visiting the LRC, provided they are not required by another user

Accessing Resources:

  • Non-fiction books are organised using the Dewey Decimal Classification system, while fiction books are arranged alphabetically using the first three letters of the author’s surname
  • The LRC includes both junior and senior sections to ensure age-appropriate access to resources
  • Teachers may book classes into the LRC in advance through the school librarian or the computer booking system
  • The LRC hosts scheduled reading lessons, library inductions for new Year 7 students and dedicated tutor-time reading sessions

Support

The LRC staff are always available to help students locate resources, recommend reading materials and support research and study. Please do not hesitate to ask for assistance.

Opening Hours

The library is open daily for all students before school, during break and lunchtime, and after school during the following hours:

  • Monday to Thursday: 8am to 5pm
  • Friday: 8am to 3:15pm

Library Events and Wider Enrichment Opportunities

The Learning Resource Centre actively promotes reading and cultivates a culture of reading through a wide range of enrichment opportunities and literacy events.

  • Reading Events: students take part in wider reading schemes, book awards and competitions, including the Carnegie Book Award, Hounslow Library Service Speed Read, Teen Read and Poetry Slam events
  • Cultural Enrichment: the LRC celebrates key events such as World Book Day, Black History Month, National Poetry Day and Windrush Day
  • Promoting Reading: the LRC has hosted the Scholastic Book Fair and organised Book Swap events to encourage reading across the school community
  • Competitions: students participate in creative activities including cultural flag displays, author artwork, World Book Day competitions and writing challenges
  • Reading Challenges: students take part in initiatives such as the Winter Reading Challenge, Summer Reading Challenge and the Year 10 ‘6 Books in 6 Months’ challenge
  • Staff CPD: the LRC provides research materials and articles to support staff development
  • Reading Club: the LRC runs a weekly Book Club featuring contemporary and classic authors to instil a love of reading
  • Trips: students visit cultural and educational venues including the Southbank, Tate Modern, the Natural History Museum and the Imperial War Museum
  • Charity Events: the LRC supports charitable initiatives such as the Read for Good ‘Readathon’ to help provide books for children in hospital.
Junior Fiction: Recommended Reads
 
Bedrock Learning Link
 
LRC Code of Conduct

Please click on the 'Accessit' logo for the library borrowing app

Cookie Policy