Here at Weald of Kent, we are proud to have a fully staffed, well-stocked library at each campus. The libraries provide vibrant, engaging and popular spaces for students and staff at the heart of the school community. With over 13,000 books, our collection holds a wide range of fiction and non-fiction resources which are kept up to date to support the curriculum and give our students the best encouragement to love reading.

Working in collaboration with teaching staff, the library produces Wider Reading lists for every subject suggesting a large range of books, websites, podcasts, films and much more for all key stages to take students’ learning beyond the classroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Academic

Activities in our libraries help to embed a love of reading which we aim to build as students progress through the school. Year 7 have a library lesson every fortnight and enjoy dedicated reading time, as well as learning about how the library works and engaging in Reading for Pleasure projects, including Recommended Reads bookmarks, creating a Brilliant Books poster and completing a Reading Challenge.  Student Librarians are recruited from Year 8 and help on the library desk at lunchtimes and with library events, and go on an extra-curricular trip each summer. Students can also undertake the volunteering component of their Duke of Edinburgh Award by helping in the library.

At the other end of secondary education, the library offers an ideal environment for quiet Sixth Form study, and our collection holds many resources to support A Level subjects, EPQ research and university applications. Library staff are always available, whether to help with finding relevant resources or with research skills such as referencing.

Library staff also play a key role in supporting whole school DEAR Time, the Poet Laureate initiative, the annual poetry competition and English Media and Drama Week, as well as entering two teams of readers from years 7-9 in the National Reading Champions Quiz every year.

Community/Pastoral

The popular Page Turners and Carnegie Book Clubs run across the school year. Page Turners is a themed book award for local secondary schools, for which students read and discuss a shortlist of carefully selected titles in weekly meetings. The reading cycle culminates in a wonderful Gala evening, held at Weald’s Tonbridge campus in March, where 300 students and staff from participating schools enjoy a wonderful celebration of books and reading, featuring Guest Authors, competitions, an event bookstall run by Sevenoaks Bookshop, and as well as special book tokens enabling all students to take home a book of their choice.

Following Page Turners, we shadow the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing, a national book award involving groups of readers all over the country. We shadow the judging process, debating and discussing the shortlist, and students vote for their favourite reads in the Shadowers’ Choice Award.

All students can enjoy a busy schedule of events in the library, including frequent competitions, Reading Breakfasts,pre-loved book sales, craft activities and World Book Day celebrations. Recent library trips have included a Student Librarian trip to the British Library and Charles Dickens Museum and a Book Club trip to the Carnegie Medal Award Ceremony at the Cambridge Theatre, London.

Opening times: 8.35am-4.30pm