Banchory Primary School
How do you transform a school library into a vibrant hub of inclusion and literacy? One Scottish primary school in rural Aberdeenshire shares how a dedicated team of staff, parents, and young student librarians have built a community space where every child can discover the joy of reading.
We spoke to their school librarian and Additional Support Needs (ASN) lead, Jenny Birse, to find out how they have become a model for an inclusive reading for pleasure culture and how Reading Cloud is supporting educators to manage the library more efficiently.
How a rural Scottish primary school created more time for meaningful discussions about reading
About the school
Nestled in rural Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Banchory Primary School has over 400 students and is committed to offering an inclusive education with its enhanced ASN provision. At the heart of the school lies a spacious library that doubles as a classroom, managed by a dedicated team of staff and parent volunteers, alongside enthusiastic student librarian helpers.
The school librarian and ASN lead, Jenny Birse, described the school aims for their library is to “create an inclusive space, with access to quality, culturally diverse reading materials, and to nurture a love of reading amongst the students.”
Streamlining library management
The school, which has been with Reading Cloud since 2019, previously relied on a paper-based system for their library management. Often time-consuming and hard to track which books were in the library, this traditional approach meant teachers were spending time doing administrative tasks.
In search of a more efficient solution, Banchory Primary School implemented Reading Cloud for their library management, helping to save time and encourage independent learning. According to Jenny, “Students take books out of the library themselves so it’s promoting independence, but it also allows the teacher to be freed up to chat to children about their books rather than dealing with all the admin.” The transition from paper-based to digital library management has significantly reduced the time spent on administrative tasks, allowing teachers to focus on what matters most – supporting children’s reading journeys.
Nurturing independent learning
Reading Cloud empowers students to take charge of their own library experience with the easy-to-use search functionality and check-out tools. Jenny says, “Students use the enquiry function, and particularly the picture search, to quickly and easily find the books they’re look for.” The picture search tool makes the library catalogue accessible to all students, regardless of their age, reading level or learning needs and this self-service approach builds their confidence and creates more opportunities for meaningful discussions about reading.
Managing the library collection easily
Staff can now easily track and develop the library collection to meet student needs. As Jenny explains, “You can easily search the catalogue to see if there are books on particular themes. It’s not always easy to find books or know your entire catalogue, but with Reading Cloud you can easily manage and track books.”
Looking Forward
Banchory Primary school continues to explore new ways to leverage the Reading Cloud’s capabilities, with plans to implement the review feature to further engage students in their reading journey.
The school exemplifies how the integration of technology can help reduce administrative burden using Reading Cloud, creating more time for teachers to have meaningful discussions about reading, leading to a more inclusive library environment.
Ready to transform your school library?
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to elevate your students’ library experience. If you’re not yet part of the Reading Cloud family, now is the perfect time to find out more about what we can offer your school. Book a no obligation demo with one of our expert Sales team today and discover how Reading Cloud can transform your school library.
