The Library

The library is a two floor study area located in our sixth form building. It is usually open from 8am to 5pm every weekday and occasionally during the holidays. The lower floor is for students in Years 7 to 11, and the upper floor includes a silent study area for sixth form students. Professional librarians support and assist students and staff users.

There are computers downstairs and upstairs, a scanner and colour printers. There is also a photocopier and DVD player, and listening facilities are available for audiobooks and language support.

There is a huge variety of activities taking place in the library to suit every year group. Year 7 students can participate in the Haringey Children's Book Award with students from other schools all around the Borough during the Spring term, and in the Summer term, Year 8 students shadow the prestigious Carnegie Book Award. 'Novel Attractions' is a book review group for Years 9/10 and the sixth form reading club, 'Undercover', enjoys a wide range of challenging texts. Even parents and staff can get involved by attending 'Cover Up', our half-termly, sociable parent/staff reading group. As well as these, we enjoy arranging special events like Harry Potter Night with a library 'sleepover', or celebrating Roald Dahl's birthday. We also run charity events and even play library bingo - there is always something happening in the library!

We work closely with the English department to ensure everyone gets a chance to enjoy reading with buddy schemes, a Breakfast Club, fortnightly library lessons (where we use the Accelerated Reader system) and other reading initiatives. Links with other departments in the school mean we have relevant resources for all subjects and many teachers take advantage of the facilities we offer and bring classes in for research lessons.

We have books that appeal to everyone. Reference, text and non-fiction books are available, as well as up-to-date periodicals to support learning. We have a vast range of fiction from classics to current best-sellers, and we welcome suggestions for new titles. We also have picture books, comics, Quick Reads, book and CD sets, novels in other languages and a large selection of DVDs to borrow.

We get daily newspapers (The Daily Telegraph, i and The Mirror), and local papers too. Board games are available to play, there is always a film showing at lunchtime, and our exhibitions and book displays are changed weekly to capture the imagination. We are always excited to welcome authors, illustrators, historians, politicians and other folk to the library for talks and workshops and we have our very own Patron of Reading, a designated author who comes several times during the year to build a rapport with the students and create a buzz about reading.

If you have questions about the library, please call us on 020 8365 4457, or email Gill Ward gward@fortismere.org.uk

For more information, please read:

Use the Accelerated Reader BookFinder to search for book titles based on author, topic or title of book. Find out the AR Level of the book you’re reading to make sure it’s in your reading zone. You can read a Guide to Accelerated Reader here.