Library

WELCOME

The library is central in supporting our children to develop a lifelong love of reading. It is a bright, welcoming environment where children can relax and feel safe.

Our library is available for children to use from Monday to Wednesday. Reception and Key Stage 1 classes visit the library weekly to choose books to enjoy at home and in the classroom. Years 2 to 6 also have the opportunity to visit the library independently at lunchtime.

There are approximately 8,000 fiction and non-fiction books in our collection. We constantly refresh our selection of books with the latest publications and will make purchases based on student recommendations and to support the curriculum.

THE ONLINE LIBRARY

You can search our online library here. All children are allocated a unique library login when they join the school. They do not have to login to their personal library account to search for books but they will need to if they want to reserve books or check their account for loans, overdue books etc. Please contact Mrs Harris at library@bishopgilpin.org for a reminder of your child’s library login details.

The online library also includes recommended reads for each year group, topic books which link to the curriculum, quizzes and other useful information to support your use of our library.

SHARING OUR LOVE OF READING

We aim to build an immersive reading environment to create, develop and nurture a reading for pleasure pedagogy for our children. To find out more about how we share our love of reading within the Bishop Gilpin community, please see our Reading for Pleasure page.

RETURNS

Books are issued for up to two weeks. We do not charge a fine for overdue or lost books but welcome your support in helping our children get into the habit of taking care of books and returning them on time.

There is a returns box at the top of the library stairs in which children can return books at any time. If a book is lost please email library@bishopgilpin.org so that the book can be removed from our system.

MERTON PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Shortly after joining Bishop Gilpin, all children receive a premium school library card from Merton Libraries. This allows them to borrow up to six books, eBooks, audio books or eMagazines at a time, without fines. Please contact Merton Libraries if you have any queries.

BOOK DONATIONS

We are always grateful to our families for offering donations of pre-loved books, but sadly do not have enough space for them all. Several charities welcome book donations including Children’s Book Project and Doorstep Library.

CONTACT

For any reading or library technical queries, please email Mrs Harris at library@bishopgilpin.org.