Library
Bexhill Academy Library
Learning is at the heart of everything we do at Bexhill Academy.
The library is at the heart of the school, it is an essential hub of student life. The library is accessible, inclusive and welcoming.
To inspire students and staff to make use of the resources available, we strive to keep the books relevant, reflecting the interests of our borrowers.
Mrs McKay, the librarian, is assisted by 6 amazing student librarians. They do a fantastic job assisting our borrowers to find appropriate books and are always on hand to make recommendations. The student librarians work tirelessly, ensuring that the library is always neat, tidy and ready for use.
We currently stock over 3,000 fiction books of various genres and age ranges. There should be something to suit everyone’s tastes and reading ability.
We also carry over 2,000 non- fiction books covering a wide range of topics for research and homework help.
In addition to the books, there is also a wide range of magazines and newspapers available.
Our online library also offers 1500 books.
Opening times
Monday to Friday 08.00 to 16.00
Break times
Break 1 (10.40 to 11.10) Year 11 students only
Break 2 (12.50 to 13.20) All year groups
The library is also a safe space where students congregate to chat and socialise. A variety of board games are available and you will often see a strategic game of chess in action.
At break times, you will find students reading books, magazines and newspapers. They are able to use the computers for research, homework and coursework. A printer is available to support essential homework.
Additionally, our computers hold a variety of curriculum-based programmes to assist students with improving their reading, spelling, grammar and vocabulary, including ‘ Accelerated Reader’ and ‘Reading Plus’. Sparks Maths is also available on these computers.
Library lessons
Years 7 and 8 have a ‘Library Lesson’ once a fortnight. This gives the students an opportunity to browse the shelves and seek out newly added popular titles.
The students are encouraged to make use of the computers available to carry our Accelerated Reader quizzes and Reading Plus activities, supporting their reading.
This is also a time for quiet, independent reading.
Library Clubs
Homework Club
After school, every afternoon, the Library transforms into a space for Independent Study, providing students with a quiet place to complete their homework between 3:00-4.00 pm.
In addition to books, we also have computers available to aid learning. An adult is always on hand to support different homework tasks.
A range of English Revision Study Guides are available via Gateway. Once purchased, they can be collected from the library.
Book Group
On Wednesday, there is a book group open to students from year 7 and 8 between 3:00-4.00 pm.
We participate in the 1066 School’s Book Awards.
In addition to reading a selection of books, it also requires the writing of book reviews, encouraging reflection and writing skills.
We celebrate the conclusion of the awards with an awards' event with other schools in the area.
Bexhill Academy Reading Cafe - Invite only
As a celebration of student achievements, we have launched a new initiative for parents and carers to come in to see the work that their children have been doing. The ‘Reading Café’ will be open from 15.15 until 16.30 on selected afternoons, and will be an invite-only event.
It has been taking place in our fabulous library and has been a joy to see families taking an interest in their child's education. Families have had the opportunity to see the programmes that their children have been using, look at some of their workbooks and have the opportunity to speak to some of the staff that have been supporting them.
Families are also be able to browse the bookshelves and familiarise themselves with the huge range of books on offer.
During this event you may choose to listen to your child read, read out-loud to them, or just discuss their book choices with them. If you care for younger children, they are welcome to accompany you. We love to inspire young readers!
As a thank you for attending this event, families are entered into our prize draw where they can win an amazing ‘Reading Hamper’ full of goodies.
Accelerated Reader
In Years 7 & 8, all students take part in the Accelerated Reader Programme; this is designed to do the following things:
- Find books that are the right reading level for your child.
- Encourage students to read more.
- Improve students reading ability.
According to Renaissance Learning’s research, children who read at least 20 minutes a day with a 90% comprehension rate on AR quizzes see the greatest gains.
Competitions & prizes
We run various competitions within Accelerated Reader to encourage reading.
- 100% Club. Every student who achieves 100% in a quiz on a book, within their ZPD, gets a certificate and a raffle ticket. We draw 1 winner and 2 runners-up from each year group every term with the winners receiving an Amazon gift voucher.
- Highest Book Points for the Class. The English class who gain the highest points on quizzes win an end of term treat.
- Word-count recognition board in the library shows the amount of words each student has read; students can track their progress easily.
- Word Millionaires receive a certificate and a ‘gold’ badge; they also have a star displayed on our Millionaires “Ceiling of Stars”.
Quizzes are via Accelerated reader.
Accelerated Reader Login
User name : first letter of first name, 4 letters of surname.
Password Year 7: 7abc
Password Year 8: 8abc
Authorisation password: admin
Accelerated Reader
Reading Plus
Reading Plus is an adaptive literacy programme that improves fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, stamina, and motivation.
Login details
Site Code: RPBexhillA
Username: First name beginning with a capital, capital initial of last name
Password: qwerty
Our On-Line Library
All students have access to Wheelers Online Library.
To sign in, they just need their computer login as their username - i.e. the year they started at Bexhill Academy + the first three letters of the first name and the first three letters of the surname. As an example, for a Year 7 who started in September 2019, the username would be 19amysmi
The password is: books1
Students can browse and borrow books with ease.
Please contact our Librarian, Mrs Mckay: loraine.mckay@bexhillacademy.org if you have any questions.
On-Line Library
