Grand Opening of Our New Community Library
We are delighted to celebrate the Grand Opening of our new school Community Library today — a library run by students, for students.
Carshalton Girls has always had a thriving reading culture, and this exciting development is firmly rooted in student voice. At last year’s GLT Conference, our Head Girl, Arianne C, was asked by Mr Baumann-Winn, “What would you like most to see as a next step for our school?” Her response — “We want a library again!” — perfectly captured the wishes of our students and marked the beginning of this inspiring journey.
Since then, a dedicated team of Sixth Form students have brought this vision to life. Our Chief Student Librarians — Eliza S, Mariem O and Teeya P — have demonstrated outstanding leadership, commitment and passion for reading. They have carefully sorted books from our former Library Resource Centre, ordered new titles, and designed a clear and accessible categorisation system to support all readers.
With expert training from Miss Trout, the Chief Student Librarians and a new team of Year 12 volunteer Student Librarians have been trained to use our library management system, Accessit. The Community Library will be open at break times and after school, allowing students to borrow and return books with ease. All students are automatically members, using their existing Accessit accounts from the English Wider Reading curriculum.
True to its name, the Community Library places students at the heart of everything it does. Suggestion boxes at the end of the gondola bookshelves will allow students to request new titles, ensuring the collection continues to reflect their interests and voices.
As a long-serving teacher and Strategic Lead for Literacy, it has been both inspiring and heart-warming to watch this student-led initiative come to fruition. Congratulations to our fantastic new Librarians, and a very warm welcome to all Carshalton High students — this is your Community Library.
Mrs Bhatt,
Director of English, Lead Practitioner and SLE
.png)
.png)
.png)
