Learning Resource Centre

LEARNING RESOURCE CENTRE

WELCOME TO OUR LIBRARY,

Opening Hours

Our opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm.

Prior to form time and after school, we recommend using the Resource Centre to complete homework. However, The Cecil Jones Library is also open during break and lunchtime. All students are able to borrow a book for four weeks, and we have thousands of books to choose from. Our aim is to encourage all students to read for educational growth as well as for pleasure.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

Dr. Seuss 

About Our Learning Resource Centre

The Library at Cecil Jones is a versatile space, offering curriculum support, library lessons and a friendly environment to our students, staff and visitors. Whether students need revision guides for their chosen subjects or want to try a new book series, our Librarian is on hand to help guide and direct.

There are an abundance of activities taking place within the space including:

Accelerated Reading Programme

Our year 7 and 8 students take part in the Accelerated Reader initiative where they compete within tutor groups to obtain the most points. Every Reading Practice Quiz has a point value assigned to it based on the book level and the word count of the book (the book’s difficulty and length) this helps encourage and make reading fun and helps pupils to improve their reading and literacy skills!

Individually, students can read to get points toward earning reading badges.

Milestones:

• 500,000 – Bronze Book worm Badge and Certificate
• 1 million – Silver Book worm Badge and Certificate
• 2 million – Gold Book worm Badge and Certificate
• 3 million – Golden Owl Book worm Badge and Certificate
• 5 million - Choice of book for the library with sticker and Certificate 

“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.”

Walt Disney

Reading Sessions

Our Year 7, 8 and 9 students all participate in timetabled reading lessons where they are able to change their reading book and complete quizzes on Accelerated Reader, this is carried out fortnightly in an English lesson. In these sessions, the classes also read a book aloud together to support the development of spoken language and comprehension skills. Some of the books that the classes have enjoyed have been, Trash by Andy Mulligan and Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy.

Homework Club

Homework Club is held after school on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 3.10pm until 3.55pm. Students of all year groups are welcome to attend and have access to the computer suite and resources, to ensure their homework is completed.

Author Visits

We have previously welcomed authors to our library space, including Jennifer Claessen, author of The October Witches. We are looking forward to arranging future visits from writers, where students will have the opportunity to take part in creative writing workshops. In February 2025, Jennifer Claessen will be joining us again, to talk about her latest book, The December Witches.

Drop Everything and Read

Every Thursday, pupils participate in Drop Everything and Read. This is carried out in tutor groups and the whole school participates, teachers included. During this time the Library is used by our sixth form and year 10 pupils who listen to selected year 7 and 8 pupils reading aloud. This is an opportunity for the lower years to practice their oracy and reading ability, and an opportunity for our older pupils to develop skills in leadership and tutoring.

Chess Club

Chess club is re-starting on 6 January 2025. It will be held in the library by our pupils. Chess club is every Monday, 3.10pm until 3.55pm.

Wellbeing and your mental health

To promote mental health and wellbeing we have purchased many books to support our pupils with coping with a variety of issues. There are books about body confidence, how to beat peer pressure, understanding anxiety and how to prepare for exam stress.

Book Recommendations

Reading has many benefits to pupils and adults alike. Here are some must-read suggestions from our librarian! A full copy of recommending reading books per year can be found in our pupil’s planners on pages 63 to 67.

Year 7 The World’s Worst Children – David Walliams

Year 8 Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens

Year 9 Frankenstein – Mary Shelley

Year 10 Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier

Year 11 Emma – Jane Austen

Ask The Librarian

If students would like to try new books, or they’re not sure what to read next, our librarian is happy to assist. Our huge selection of fiction books covers a wide range of genres, including fantasy, adventure, thriller, dystopian, science fiction, diversity, relationships, and graphic novels. Additionally, we have shelves full of the classics, as well as poetry and plays. We also stock a range of reference books to support students not just in their studies but also for their own interests and hobbies. There really is something for everyone but we always welcome book recommendations from our students - we want to ensure we stock the books our students like best!

Themes

During the school year, we like to support a number of initiatives and themes. These include:

October - Black History Month

November - Remembrance

December - Christmas

January - New Year, New Books

February - Love and Friendship

March - World Book Day

April - Earth Day

May - World Mental Health Awareness Week

 “The man who does not read good books is no better than the man who can’t.”

Mark Twain