“A good library will never be too neat, or too dusty, because somebody will always be in it, taking books off the shelves and staying up late reading them.” – Lemony Snicket
Stories are hardwired into our very biology.
Our brains are made with all the machinery needed to understand stories and share them with others. We are storytelling creatures that use narrative structures to organise our thoughts; because we use stories to recall facts, our knowledge is based on stories themselves.
Since the origin of humankind, we have used stories as a way to entertain, inform, inspire, and provide cultural continuity. Storytelling emerged long before the written word, which helped stories to grow and spread even further.
Sometimes you hear stories that make you happy. Sometimes they make you sad. Sometimes you will find them boring, or upsetting, or frustrating, embarrassing, terrifying, exciting, optimistic, thoughtful, irritated, insecure, enthusiastic, amazed, calm, disappointed…
The library is a room of stories.
You just need to find the ones that make you feel.
Northfield School for Girls strongly encourages reading for pleasure to support personal growth and character development (inclusivity of thought, stickability, empathy and self-regulation) and develop pupils’ research and study skills. The continuing emphasis on independent learning and the investigative approaches of GCSEs mean that the Library has a central educational role within the school.
Pupils in KS3 have a Library Lesson every fortnight, and this time is split between independent reading and either a Research Skills curriculum; designed to teach pupils online research skills such as skimming and scanning, and website evaluation, to incorporate proficiency in non-fiction reading in different formats, or the use of Lexia PowerUp; a computer-based program that adapts instruction to the specific needs of learners. The activities in PowerUp support and build on our English curriculum, focusing on developing reading skills in three areas: word study, grammar, and comprehension.
Words from The Power of Story – National Geographic Society © 1996 – 2025 National Geographic Society.
“Reading is a high priority across the school. The school knows that many pupils arrive with low literacy levels. Staff spot pupils who need extra help and provide them with targeted support. Pupils learn reading skills and have many opportunities to practise these skills across the curriculum. As a result, they quickly gain the knowledge and skills needed to become confident, fluent readers” (Ofsted, 2024)
