The Learning Centre (our library) is the heart of our school, reflecting the importance that Ark Academy places on reading and literacy.

Reading for pleasure is an important aim of the learning centre.  We stock a wide range of materials to appeal to both students and staff. These include fiction books, graphic novels, biographies and non-fiction books to support learning.

In their daily 20 minute morning reading sessions, students are encouraged to try new genres whilst reading aloud, in groups and through independent reading, in order to foster a love of books.

Author visits and workshops take place in the library on a regular basis. These are always popular, and capture enthusiasm and excitement about reading and writing.

The library staff, Miss Lipner (above right) and Miss Pope, run different clubs and activities in the learning centre to encourage reading for pleasure, and to promote use of the library by all students. Clubs currently include a boys’ manga group, football focus and a lunchtime Jacqueline Wilson book club for girls. There are currently 20 junior librarians who attend a weekly duty in the library.

Each half term there is a library competition open to all students, where prizes have included books, but also trips to conferences and the public library and cinema passes. Previous competitions have included ‘Ark Academy’s Hunger Games’ and ‘Design your own comic’.

Each half term, an award is given to the ‘Reader of the term’, which again highlights the important place that literacy, and reading for pleasure has within the Academy.