Teacher Advice | sls-uk.org

TEACHING ADVICE

Connecting the dots between content and the curriculum. Our advice series offers a glimpse on what talent you can access from School Library Service team member.

Keen to have access to this type of talent in your school - enquire about services available from your local Schools Library Service today.

Illustration of people walking around large books, with a light bulb-shaped bookcase hanging above, symbolizing learning and knowledge in a vibrant library setting anticipating its next restock.

Ways to restock your library

Librarian’s view: To buy 100 new books split evenly between fiction and non-fiction in today’s market could easily cost over £1,000. With the discount specialists like SLS receive from suppliers, the cost for the same number of book...

Illustration of a hand holding a book titled "Million Word Gap" which bridges the gap between cliffs. Children with backpacks walk across, symbolizing the power of books to close literacy gaps.

Books to stop the million word gap

Librarian’s view: Who might say this? “We know that children who read for pleasure, and who are read to, gain all kinds of benefits.” The answer is as likely to be educators as librarians, but this time it was the current Waterston...

Illustration of a hand placing a 'Solution' puzzle piece between two blocks. One person climbs a ladder, while another with a telescope stands on a block, bridging the reading gap.

Closing the reading gap with the right book choice

Librarian’s view: For confident early readers and reluctant or not yet got it readers, tackling a whole book together in class can be tricky. The speedy ones think they know the story. While the not yet got it group might be struggling...

Illustration of four cartoon teeth with faces, two winking and one being brushed; bubbles surround them on a pink and blue background. Perfect for educating kids on children's dental health in a playful way.

Dental health matters: teaching kids better oral care with books

Rachel JohnstonHarrow SLS Librarian’s view: Dental health matters: tackling the ‘national embarrassment’ of the crisis in children’s dental health through children’s books A hospital operation is one experience that no parent w...

Illustration of a city map background with the names of various scandinavian authors presented in colorful text boxes.

The Reading Teacher – Widening Teachers’ Reading Repertoires

Looking at a recent study of teachers’ reading repertoires and moving beyond popular childhood favourites....

The Importance of Reading for Pleasure – Farshore School Research Project

A look at how reading aloud for 20 minutes a day can impact positivity towards reading and improved attainment in reading and comprehension....

An eye-catching display of books and hats arranged neatly on a table.

Box Clever

School Library Services across the UK provide excellent, tailor-made topic collections support school projects. Our topic boxes help teachers with their planning and delivery of the National Curriculum within a framework which is both...

Two boys sitting on a blanket reading a book in a primary school library.

Updating Your Primary School Library on a Limited Budget

Exploring ways to prioritise school library spending when money is limited and book prices are rising by Pat Elliott and Sharon Walsh from Westminster Schools Library Service....

A day in the life of a librarian.

A day in the life of a librarian

A librarian can bring many extra benefits to your school, helping teachers prepare and students unlock their love of stories and learning. Here librarian Laura Bennett, from Tower Hamlets SLS, discusses the plethora of ways she’s used...

An open book filled with thrilling adventures as airplanes soar through the sky.

Reading Adventures

Explore how to make reading an adventure, linking the curriculum and information books, to help engage reluctant readers and develop a love of reading and learning....

A pink background with books on it and the word 'outstacking'. A library scene that supports OFSTED inspection.

How the library can support an OFSTED inspection

OFSTED visits are always on a school’s mind, especially now that many are getting their first visit for several years in the post-pandemic catch-up....

A group of people in a library utilizing the updated Reading Framework.

The updated Reading Framework – How SLS can help?

Lisa Little looks at how SLS can support schools in light of the updated Reading Framework....

The word classification education on a yellow background.

Classification for nerds

How a little bit of understanding about the classification scheme in your library can help children find the books they want....

Unequal futures? An imbalance of opportunities in school library provision.

Unequal futures: an imbalance of opportunities but an insight into school library provision

Guest article from Alison Tarrant, Co-Chair, Great School Libraries campaign, highlighting some of the key takeaways from the new Great School Libraries research....

In a classroom reading corner, a girl with glasses is engrossed in a book.

School library versus classroom reading corners

Can classroom reading corners be an acceptable alternative to a whole school library? Advice from Jacqueline Barnes, Northumberland SLS....

A student is holding an open book with her arms outstretched.

The Compelling Case for Student Librarians

A look at how selection, training and supporting pupil librarians can engage the whole school in sharing books and reading....

A man working on a laptop with AI-Assisted Teaching robots around him.

Unlocking the Potential of AI-Assisted Teaching with a Chatbot

ChatGPT, powered by artificial intelligence, is a chatbot which takes human-computer interaction to a whole new level. It was released for public use in early December and grew to over 1 million users in 5 days. The system responds to...

Running a Book Club

A look at how book clubs can support book awards by Diane Scarborough from Lancashire School Library Service. Tips include how to encourage students to get involved and how to structure sessions as well as useful voting criteria....

Silhouettes of children reading books in a school library building vector | price 1 credit

Building a Brilliant School Library on a Budget

Nina SimonRedbridge SLS Librarian’s view: Over the years I have been into many schools to organise and update their primary school libraries. All too often the teacher given the responsibility for the library often feels overwhelmed: ...

A group of children are posing in front of a display of items as part of their Real World Learning class work.

Class Work: Real World Learning

A look at how experiences outside the classroom can invigorate learning inside the classroom by Lisa Little who works for SLS’s partner, Durham Learning Resources...

A group of children sitting in a school library surrounded by space-themed books.

How to get the space right for school libraries

A well organised primary school library needs a space of its own – a safe haven which children are excited to explore. Shelves of books in a corridor do not invite browsing and mooching. ...

What books does our primary school library need?

There are three elements to the well-organised library – space, stock and staff – that lead to a fourth, personalisation, which will help your pupils get the best from your library resources...

A woman and a child looking at books in a primary school library.

Staffing the primary school library

A library without a person running it is just a roomful of books – and those books will be getting dustier and tattier every month....

A group of people standing in front of an orange background at a local book award ceremony.

Rewards of Running a Local Book Award

From introducing new, exciting novelists into the reading repertoire to bolstering pupil confidence, Nina Simon, Manager of Redbridge SLS, introduces us to the benefits of book awards....

Two young boys engrossed in reading a book for pleasure in a classroom.

Is Reading for Pleasure just another tool to improve SATs results?

It is important that schools do what they can to develop reading for pleasure, authentically, without the goals of the wider literacy strategy in mind, says Kathryn Henderson from Durham Learning Resources....