Redbridge Schools’ Library Service provides learning resources, librarians and library-related advice and support to schools in Redbridge, Newham, Waltham Forest, Havering and other London boroughs not served by a schools’ library service. More information is available in our information booklet (PDF 660KB). Our resources are regularly maintained and updated in line with general demand and national curriculum requirements.
Loans Service
Every term each class teacher can request topic loans, fiction loans, reading packs and class sets. Our resources are regularly updated in line with national curriculum requirements and teachers’ requests. All loans are issued for a full school term by may be renewed or exchanged on request.
Use the forms below to apply for your loans.
Library Loan and Exchange
Secondary or primary schools that subscribe for 3 years can get long term loans from us. These loans supplement your school library collection and can be exchanged in part or whole annually over the three year period.
You can get:
- 750 fiction/non-fiction books (secondary schools)
- 500 fiction/non-fiction books (primary schools)
Delivery and collection
Loans are delivered directly to your school in strong blue storage boxes. We provide a checklist for you to make sure the contents are correct. Please let us know as soon as possible if there is a problem or you have any questions. It is the teacher’s responsibility to locate and check off loans against the printout at the end of term.
Advisory Service
We can provide trained librarians to offer advice and support to heads, teachers and support staff. We can help you with:
- establishing and managing your school library
- purchasing books and library equipment
- automating your school library
- advising and training library coordinators
- training and insets for teachers and school librarians
Collection Review
We can visit your school to do a stock check to identify missing subject areas. You can then use SLS stock to identify good up-to-date resources that can be bought for your library.
Book Promotion
“Pupils who can read are overwhelmingly more likely to succeed at school, achieve good qualifications, and subsequently enjoy a fulfilling and rewarding career. In addition to its substantial practical benefits, reading is one of life’s profound joys.”
(Reading the next steps by Department for Education 2015)
We can come into your school to promote reading for pleasure. We offer this for both younger and older children:
Foundation and Key Stage 1: Picture book stories are read interactively to classes.
Key Stage 2 and 3:A selection of age-appropriate fiction books is brought to the classroom. Part of the story is told, stopping on a cliff-hanger so students will be keen to read the rest themselves.
Redbridge Children’s Book Award
More information on the Children’s Book Award
Primary School Librarians
We can provide schools with the services of a professional librarian on a regular basis to ensure your library is strategically managed and continuously developed as well as open and available to children as much as possible,
A professional librarian will:
- promote enjoyment of, and excitement about, reading
- establish skills for independent learning and assist in the delivery of information skills teaching in the school
- buy quality resources for the school library and classroom libraries
- manage, maintain and promote the school library and teacher resources
- manage the computer library system, if in place
- manage the Schools’ Library Service contract
- provide training and supervision for support staff and pupil librarians in basic library routines
- ensure consistency and maintain the quality of the school library on a long-term basis and regardless of changes in personnel
Many schools find that in just half a day a week the library flourishes and the librarian has time to work with children as well as manage the library and keep it operational so that it can be used throughout the week, with the support of library assistants or volunteers.
If you cannot afford this, why not buy some primary library maintenance days each term to help with training, organisation, cataloguing new books, maintaining the library management system. Please contact us if you would like a librarian in your primary school.
Contact us
Telephone: 020 8708 2423/4
Address:
Redbridge Central Library
Clements Road
Ilford
Essex
IG1 1EA
Email: schoolsresources.library@visionrcl.org.uk