The City School

The library.

A quiet room full of good books, with a catalogue you can search from home. Here is how borrowing works, and what to expect when you come in with your child.

From the library

Reading isn't just about gaining knowledge; it's about chasing wonder. Let's fuel our children's natural curiosity by filling our homes with stories that invite us to question, listen, and learn alongside them.

Rachel Wright, teacher-librarian. She is the person to ask about books, borrowing and what your child might read next. The school office will pass a message on.

Finding a book

Search the catalogue →

Everything we hold is listed online

You can look a title up from home before you come in, and see whether it is on the shelf or already out. No login is needed to search.

If a book is already out

Ask the library to hold it for you. They will let you know when it comes back. A reserve is not possible while your child is at their borrowing limit.

Coming in with your child

Please stay with your child

Before and after school the library is a family space, not a supervised one. Children need a parent or caregiver with them the whole time they are in the room.

OPEN

Open before and after school

The library opens either side of the school day, Monday to Friday. This year's exact times are being confirmed rather than guessed at, so please check with the library or the office before you plan a visit.

You can borrow too

Ask the library to open a family account and you can take books home on it: up to ten per child, for a month at a time.

Borrowing and bringing back

How many books, and for how long

K1 and K2 keep up to five books for a week. Year 1 to Year 3 keep up to seven for a week. Year 4 to Year 6 keep up to seven for two weeks. Every class also visits the library for a lesson each week, which is when most borrowing happens.

Keeping a book longer

Ask for a renewal and your child can keep it for another loan period. A book can be renewed once, so that titles keep going round, and the library may say no if someone else is waiting.

Late books are not fined

We do not charge for a book that comes back late. Bring it in when your child has finished with it, and the library will get in touch if it is needed sooner. A child at their limit borrows again once something is returned.

Lost or badly damaged books

These are charged for, because the copy has to be replaced. Ordinary wear is not: a loose spine, a frayed edge or a torn cover is what a well read book looks like. Talk to the library and they will tell you where a book stands.

If your child is leaving us

Borrowing stops in their last week and everything comes back before their last day.

This page is for The City School. If something here is out of date, tell the office or the library and we will fix it.