Library - Curriculum - Kenilworth School and Sports College

Kenilworth students are fortunate in having two separate libraries, as Castle Advanced Studies Centre has its own specialist library, enabling Leyes Lane library to concentrate on the needs of Years 7 to 11.

Mention the word library and most people immediately think of books. We certainly have a good stock of books (about 18,000 in the two libraries) and encourage reading for pleasure, but we are also a multi-media resource centre with 15 computers in each library providing access to electronic as well as printed resources.

Resources Available

A wide range of fiction books selected to appeal to our students, ranging from easy reading for reluctant readers to more challenging books. We select books that have been nominated for awards such as the Carnegie Medal as well as buying titles recommended by the students themselves.
Non-fiction books to support the curriculum and to cater for students leisure interests.
DVD's, Videos and audiotapes for loan.
Reference books, including encyclopedias, dictionaries and atlases.
A fully computerised library catalogue making it easy to locate resources.
Access to the Internet.
Access to a network of CD-ROMs, including general encyclopedias and subject-specific titles.
A range of magazines covering students leisure interests.
Professional librarians offering help and advice.
A daily newspaper

Using the Library

All students are issued with library cards enabling them to borrow up to two items at a time. The loan period for books is two weeks, but items can be renewed if they are not needed by another borrower.

The library is open to all students at first break, and at lunchtime a rota system operates to enable lower school students to use the facilities on three days each week. Years 10 and 11 have a additional lunchtime for quiet study uninterrupted by younger students.

Information Skills

As we enter the Information Age it is increasingly important that students are able to locate and select relevant information from the vast number of sources available. All students in years 7 follow a course in Information Skills.

Promoting Reading

When Year 7 students finish reading a book they discuss it with library staff and receive a sticker representing the appropriate genre. These are put on a card which provides a record of books read, and when the card is completed a there is a choice of rewards.

The library also organises a series of special events , including inter-form reading quizzes. For details please see the news page.

Year 7 Library Skills Course

As we enter the 'Information Age' it is increasingly important for students to learn how to locate and select what is useful from the many sources of information now available. At Kenilworth School courses are provided in Library Skills in Year 7 so that students can gain the skills necessary to become independent learners, skills which will be essential for GCSE Coursework and for further and higher education. A variety of teaching and learning methods are used, with considerable use of computers, as well as the other library resources.

The course is designed to ensure that students are able to use libraries effectively, not just within the school but also public libraries. We look at the way fiction authors are arranged on the shelves, and then move on to non-fiction so that students develop the skills necessary to use computerised catalogues to locate books and other information sources.

By comparing different accounts of the same events students learn to detect bias, and to select the most appropriate information for a particular purpose.