Denla British School case study
Denla British School in Bangkok, Thailand, have been using Reading Cloud for six years.
We chatted to their librarian, Robelle Baladad Mudat-Muize, who walked us through her experience using the platform and her plans to extend the library into the Prep school.
Read on to find out how Reading Cloud is helping students independently find the books they want.
About the school
Denla British School is a British curriculum for early years through to sixth form, modelled on the best practices from the UK independent school sector. The school, based in Bangkok and set in 18 acres of land, opened in 2017. The school buildings are state of the art and have been designed to provide inspirational teaching and learning environments to students of all ages with access to the very best facilities and resources.
The school motto; ‘Always to greater things’ is something the teaching staff live by to inspire and nurture students to reach their potential now and in the future
Life in the library
The school’s librarian, Robelle Baladad Mudat-Muize, started at the school 5 years ago and currently works with a small team. Currently the school has three libraries for Pre-prep, Prep and Senior which Robelle covers with the help of two library staff. The school has been using Reading Cloud since it opened and it is the first library management system Robelle has used in DBS.
The majority of students have English as a Second Language and the school aims to promote reading in all aspects of the curriculum and beyond the school gates to ensure good literacy skills. The school plans to bridge the home-school link by giving parents access to the Reading Cloud platform so they can track the books their child borrows. Robelle says, “It’s a very interactive system and we would openly encourage parents to log into the Reading Cloud to see what their children are reading. The fact we can offer this through the platform is a valuable marketing tool for our school.”
Teachers are also involved in engaging students with the library and chasing overdue books. Robelle says, “A few students come to the library in their own time but mostly it is part of class time. Our libraries are cosy, social areas where students are allowed to use their own devices to access eBooks and accomplish academic works.” Students are encouraged to log into their Reading Cloud accounts to independently search for and borrow books.
The library is open for afterschool activities, and it supports key themes across the school like STEAM and global citizenship as well as events like book week, book fairs and author visits. Robelle says, “We were lucky enough to have a recent author visit from author, Steve Davies, which we organised with other local schools in Thailand through ‘Authors Abroad’.
The school has a strong focus on literacy and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) is very supportive. Robelle says, “We have just opened a new Prep Library and we are fortunate that the SLT considers and grants our requests in procuring new books and resources.”
A more engaging look and feel
Before working with our development team as a beta tester, Robelle was looking at competitor solutions. Robelle says, “I need a good reporting function to justify my plans for the library particularly in organisation and requests for more resources and I was finding the reports module quite slow. I started to look at other library management systems but after the recent upgrade in April, the system is working a lot faster. I’m able to get the circulation data and analysis that I need for reporting and am far happier with the platform.”
The enhanced interface has also been beneficial in Robelle’s eyes. She says, “The new look and feel of Reading Cloud is far more engaging and mature for our year 7s and I’ve been playing with the customisable features on the homepage like adding the library floor plan so that students can independently find the books they want.”
“Reading Cloud is easy-to-use and I’ve found it no trouble to train library staff in using it. There have been some challenges, but the Support team has been quick to respond and resolve these problems despite the time difference as we are based in Thailand.”
Looking forward to the future with Reading Cloud
Robelle says, “I’m really keen to learn more of the features of Reading Cloud and see how these can benefit my day to day as well as encourage our students to engage more with the library.”
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.
