Gallery: The new Wickson Library

At the heart of the Senior School, the newly renovated Wickson Library has proved a huge hit with pupils and staff alike in its first term of opening.

Designed to offer a welcoming and versatile learning environment, the library draws inspiration from popular bookshops which, as Head Librarian Miss Brooks explains, helps to make pupils feel immediately at ease.

She said: “The new library is bright and airy and, despite occupying the same footprint as the old library, feels so much bigger. 

“I also decided early on to change the classification of the books in the new library, organising information books within their subject and sorting fiction books into clearly defined genres. In doing this, pupils immediately know where to find the book they are looking for, just as they would in a bookshop.”

Clearly defined shelf markers guide pupils and improve accessibility to the library’s impressive collection, which was boosted by more than 200 new books over the summer to cater to both academic needs and personal interests of the pupils.

Miss Brooks continues: “The new shelving system has made a huge difference to how pupils engage with the books.

“The increased visibility and accessibility of our collection has led directly to a significant increase in book loans since the beginning of the school year and nothing makes a librarian happier than lending more books!

“We also introduced a new Homework Reading section which aligns the collection with the Senior School curriculum, allowing pupils to easily access books that we know will deepen their understanding and enrich their studies.”

Another key aim of the new library space was to encourage collaborative learning; multiple breakout sections, groupwork areas, comfortable sofas and two teaching screens give students every opportunity to work dynamically in their preferred space. 

Miss Brooks explained that the write-on walls have been particularly popular: “Every day sees pupils from all year groups using the walls for so many different reasons. From working on maths problems to revising French vocabulary or planning a group presentation, I enjoy seeing such positive collaboration on a daily basis in the new library.”

In response to pupil demand, the new library also includes four individual study pods which provide a quiet, private space for focused study, as well as providing a new home for our dedicated careers service. 

Head of Careers, Dr Hensman, is excited about the opportunities that the new space will bring. 

He said: “Having a dedicated space for careers in the library is fantastic as it has meant that we can offer more drop-in appointments to pupils throughout the week.

“The study pods give pupils space to explore Unifrog, the online careers platform, and it is also a real bonus that we have the library’s wealth of resources at our fingertips, especially the huge selection of journals and specialist magazines.”

Headmaster George Hartley praised the team who worked hard to design and complete the library renovations.

He said: “At the forefront of every decision that was made during the design and the refurbishment was the benefit to pupils. The result of that is that we now have, at the heart of our school, a library that truly reflects – and actively enables – our future-orientated, pupil-focussed approach to teaching and learning.

“It brings me a huge amount of joy to see the library being used every day for study, collaborative working, reading for pleasure, and even playing a game of Chess.”