Encouraging Bookdragons (not worms)!

We pride ourselves on our commitment to reading and exposing our students to a variety of authors, poets and illustrators. Author visits are a regular occurrence here at Neatherd giving our students the opportunity to listen to a year group presentation plus being invited to creative writing workshops. Past authors have included Robin Stevens, Darren Shan, Joseph Delaney, Sally Gardner, Tanya Landman, Chris Priestley, Alex Scarrow to name a few. We are also delighted to welcome our new Patron of Reading author Alexander Gordon Smith who visits students throughout the year with workshops.

Accelerated Reader All Year 7 and 8 students are enrolled on a programme called Accelerated Reader (AR). With the aid of an initial computer based comprehension test a reading level is determined which enables our students to find a range of suitable books for them to enjoy. Their progress is tracked by their teacher enabling us to intervene if necessary and award relevant achievements every term.

The library hosts a variety of different events such as CSI Murder Mystery, Themed Escape Rooms, Mad Hatters Tea Party, Themed Quizzes, competitions, Book Fairs, Poetry Picnics, Halloween Spooky Stories, Recycled Book Art, World Book Week events and not forgetting our hugely popular Harry Potter Night in February - an evening of pure magic!

Opening times. The library is open from 8.20am until 4.20pm every day (Friday 3.50pm) with access for all year groups community times. We have 5 computers plus 25 tablets for accessing the internet for research and study. There are plenty of opportunities to join our reading clubs and creative writing groups taking place during lunchtimes. All KS3 - Y7, 8, 9 have a timetabled library lesson once a fortnight. Our well established library has over 7,500 books, both fiction and non- fiction and is constantly being updated with the latest titles to complement and enhance our resources available. I am happy to discuss book choices with students in order to pair with a suitable read. Our new Library Management System allows students to access the library from home as well as in school and contains a wealth of fantastic extra online resources.