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Thameside Library

Welcome to the library at Thameside Primary School!  We have over 6000 up-to-date children's books in our library, both fiction and nonfiction and covering a wide range of interests and reading abilities.  We'd like all the children to have the very best opportunity to make the most of what our library has to offer, so here is some information that we hope will be useful:

Opening times

  • Each class has a weekly timetabled visit to the library.  Please make sure your child brings his or her library books into school on library day so they can be exchanged for new ones. Click here to find out when your class is timetabled to use the library. 
  • On Fridays after school (until 4.00 pm) we have a special time for parents/carers and children to visit the library together, either to borrow books or simply to browse and read. We can also give advice on reading choices.  You are all welcome to come along whenever you can.

Loan conditions

Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are allowed to borrow one book at a time.  In Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 they can borrow 2 books at a time.  Children who come to the after-school sessions on Fridays with their parents or carers can borrow up to 4 books.

Each book can be borrowed for a maximum of 21 days, but we encourage the children to exchange their books every week to develop good library habits and so they can enjoy a wide variety of reading material.  We are glad to renew loans if you wish, unless the book has been requested by another child.

We send out reminders for overdue library books once a term, and at the end of the summer term we ask for all library books to be returned so we can do a stock check.

Caring for library books

Please encourage your children to look after their library books.  Try not to tear or crease the pages, handle the books with clean hands, don’t bend the spines back and – most important of all - keep books away from leaking water bottles. 

Lost or damaged books

Children with an overdue loan will  not be allowed to take new library books home until the overdue one is returned or paid for.  However, they will still be able to read books from their well-stocked classroom bookshelves.

If you think your child has lost or badly damaged a library book, please contact your child's teacher, or our library leader, Mrs Fidget.  We would ask you for a contribution of £5 towards the cost of replacing the book, including the plastic jacket.  The book will then be taken off the loan record so that new books can be borrowed and brought home.  If a lost book is subsequently found, your payment will be refunded.   

Choosing the right books

We have a variety of resources to help you and your children choose books that they will enjoy reading.   Please ask your child’s teacher if you would like help.  You may also find inspiration from Books for Keeps or The Book Trust – links to their websites are on this page.  The Book Trust website has a good interactive ‘book finder’.

Requests and reservations

We keep a suggestions book so children can tell us about books they would like to see in the library.  Parents are welcome to make suggestions too.  If a child would like a book that is out on loan to someone else, we can reserve the book for them.

Libresoft Librarian

Our library management system is called Librarian.  

We hope your children will have years of happy reading at Thameside.