Share This Page

Learning Resource Centre (LRC)

The LRC is a central hub of academic support and a key space for learning within the school. It offers a calm, well-equipped environment where students can read, study and access a wide variety of learning materials. As well as being a centre for study, the LRC is open during break and lunchtimes for students to quietly play board games, do mindfulness colouring or simply find a cosy corner to read a book!

Opening Times

The LRC is open from 8.15am – 4.15pm Mondays to Thursdays and 8.15am - 3.30pm every Friday

Lunchtime Schedule:
•   Year 7 and 9 - Monday, Wednesday & Friday
•   Year 8 - Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday
•   Year 10 and 11 - Tuesday & Thursday

Homework Club runs in the LRC from 3.15 pm - 4.15 pm Mondays to Thursdays

Sixth Formers are welcome to use the mezzanine and computer suite for private study during free periods and break times, with all years having access to the computer suite before and after school, and during breaktime and their designated lunchtimes.

Staff

Mrs Casey is our Learning Resources Manager and is responsible for the overall management of the learning resources in the LRC. She is supported by Mrs Doe.

Prefects from Year 10, 11 and Sixth form also help during breaks and lunch times with issuing books and helping lower school students make appropriate and informed book choices. Prefects from Year 7, 8 and 9 also assist in keeping the LRC organised and tidy. Working as part of a team is a wonderful opportunity for the prefects, encouraging independence and resourcefulness whilst also being challenging and interesting.

The Books

The LRC has over 18,000 books, including non-fiction books, general interest and reference materials, as well as subject-specific texts tailored to support the school curriculum. The fiction stock is outstanding, catering for all ages and abilities, and includes many popular new releases.
Book recommendations are actively welcomed and, while the stock is constantly reviewed to keep it diverse and relevant, we are always happy to source new materials to ensure the collection remains engaging for our readers.

Borrowing Books

All students and staff are automatically members of the LRC and are welcome to borrow books for a period of up to four weeks. Students in Years 7 to 11 may borrow two books at a time, while Sixth Form students can borrow up to six. During school holidays, we’re happy to make exceptions and allow students to borrow more - we’d much rather the books be enjoyed than sit unused on the shelves while the library is closed.

We don’t charge overdue fees, but if a book is lost or damaged beyond repair, we kindly ask for it to be replaced or for a contribution of £6 to help cover the cost. If this is ever a concern, we encourage students to speak with a member of the library staff who are always understanding and happy to help find a solution.

Oliver Library Database

In addition to physical materials, the LRC offers a user-friendly library computer interface, called Oliver, that allows students to search the catalogue, keep up to date with LRC news, and access a wide range of digital resources. Accessible through the school website under the Student tab, both in school and from home, Oliver also lets students log in with their Microsoft 365 credentials to check their loans, reserve books, and write reviews. You don’t need to log in just to search for books though.

Digital Resources

Students have access to ePlatform, a fantastic digital library offering over 3000 audio and ebooks. The free ePlatform app is easy to download and use, allowing students to borrow, read, and listen to books on a range of devices, anytime and anywhere. Students can log in using their Microsoft 365 login.

https://leventhorpe.eplatform.co/

As an additional option, students can also use VLeBooks to borrow digital books online, just as they would in the school LRC. VLeBooks can be accessed via the Oliver home page or through the eLRC section on Microsoft Teams, using students' Microsoft 365 login details.

https://www.vlebooks.com/Account/Logon

Challenges, Activities and Competitions

We run a wide range of reading related challenges, activities, and competitions throughout the year for students to get involved in.

In Year 7, students can take part in the Leventhorpe Book Award, reading from a shortlist of six books and voting for their favourite alongside Year 6 pupils from our feeder schools. Year 8s tackle the popular Bookopoly challenge, reading 20 books across themed categories with fun reading tasks (and prizes) along the way, and Year9s can participate in a fun game of Book Bingo. Our most committed readers in Years 8–10 can also shadow the prestigious Carnegie Award, reading eight shortlisted books and choosing their favourites alongside peers from our consortium schools.

Our activities include an annual Scholastic Book Fair just before Christmas, and in March we celebrate Leventhorpe Book Week. Throughout the week, students can take part in a variety of fun-filled competitions, enjoy our popular Blind Date with a Book activity and Stop Everything and Read, we have an exciting author visit too on World Book Day. In the summer term, we welcome another visiting author who runs engaging Manga Drawing workshops.

And that’s not all — we run a range of other competitions throughout the year, including Summer Holiday Scrapbook and Postcards, Book-Bunting, and the ever-popular 12 Days of Christmas in the LRC. There are fantastic prizes to be won, and all participants earn merit points too!

Useful Web Links

These websites contain information and review fiction books to help you and your child choose their next read:

Supporting Your Child's Reading

Reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child’s future success (OECD 2002), and it is our main aim is to promote a love of reading for our students.
Every student in Years 7 to 9 will have a library lesson every two weeks, and will be expected to read as part of their homework.

There is plenty you can do to support your child’s love of reading:

Read yourself! Set a good example by reading for fun and talking about the reading you do at work and at home: books, newspapers, magazines, letters and emails, lists, recipes, instructions and leaflets.
Don’t stop reading to your child. Some children enjoy being read to long after they are fluent readers themselves.
Visit the library. Take the family to join the local library- it’s free! Make a weekly visit.
Make time to read. Turn the TV off! Set aside a time for reading for the family - after school or before bedtime.
Talk about books. Talk about the books you like to read. Ask your child to tell you about the books they are reading: the type of book, the characters and the plot. Encourage them to have an opinion - was it a good book? Why? What would you have done if…?
Let your child read with younger children. Encourage them to read to younger members of the family: brothers, sisters, cousins. They could even create a picture book of their own to read.
Listen to talking books. These are great on a car journey and are a good introduction to new authors and to series.
Look up the author’s websites. There are promotional activities including quizzes, film clips and links.
Spot words inside words. Help them to spot words they know within larger words.
Do not make them try too hard! It doesn’t matter if you have to tell them the word sometimes.
Let them read their favourites. Don’t worry if they want to read the same books over and over, or stick to one kind of book. If they need inspiration ask the School librarian or their English teacher to recommend something they might like.