The School Library

The Wheatley Woodland Library has now been open for one year and is proving to be very popular as a space for reading and enjoying books, both in class sessions and at lunchtime.

All children access the library in a weekly class library session. Junior children can also visit the library during the junior lunchtime session every Thursday.

Children are encouraged to select new books, with the emphasis on reading for pleasure as we believe that reading is something that we can all enjoy.

Library Days

• Reception – Wednesday
• Year 1 – Tuesday
• Year 2 – Wednesday
• Year 3 – Thursday
• Year 4 – Thursday
• Year 5 – Monday
• Year 6 – Monday

The library is also open every Thursday lunchtime for junior children to come and use the library between 12:00pm and 1pm.

School Library Association Children’s Choice Award 2026 – part of the Information Book Awards 2026

We are delighted to be taking part in the 0-7 years and 8-12 years categories of the Children’s Choice Awards this year. These awards are part of the Information Book Awards run by the School Library Association and celebrate inspiring factual books for children.

Mrs Turner ran an afternoon session with Year 2 when they looked at all the books in groups, then had a week to consider the books in reading time within class, before choosing a winner in a whole class vote.

Isabella, Ivaan, Lindsay and Maxim from Year 5 have been reading the 4 books on the 8-12 years shortlist and will be voting for their favourite shortly.

Our votes in both categories will count towards the overall national winners. Our winners will be revealed shortly in an assembly for the whole school.

Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize 2025/26

We were very pleased to participate in this prize again this year and to see that our winning book The Wild Life of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals was also the national winner. You can find more information about the prize here.

Many thanks to Allegra, Charlie, Rocco, Sami, Tamsin and Yasmin in Year 5 and Finn, Leon, Leonora, Meryem, Myra and Sam in Year 6 for their enthusiasm as they read and voted on the 6 books and then gave an interesting presentation in Collective Worship.

Author visits in 2025/26

We are looking forward to the fabulous Jim Beckett visiting Year 1 and Year 2 in June 2026, whilst in July we are delighted to be hosting the brilliant Natasha Farrant who will speak to Year 4 and Year 6.

Year 1 and 2 enjoyed a lovely visit from local author Sarah Surgey on Tuesday 4th November, exploring emotions in her beautiful new picture book Greener Grass.

We were delighted that Year 6 were invited to hear fabulous author Emma Carroll speak about her new book Dracula & Daughters at KES School on Wednesday 22nd October. Emma’s book Letters from the Lighthouse is the class book for Year 6 so it was a fantastic opportunity for Year 6 to meet her.

All classes from Year 1 to Year 6 had a great time visiting the Bath Children’s Literature Festival in September and October when they saw Hannah Gold, Sue Hendra and Frank Cottrell-Boyce. The children are all now enjoying the free book which was given by Bath Festivals to every child.

Author visits in previous years

We enjoyed a brilliant visit to Years 3 and 4 in May 2025 from author Joseph Elliott, a visit to Years 1 and 2 in June 2025 by author Jim Beckett and a visit to Reception in June 2025 from author Alexandra Strick and author and illustrator Steve Antony. These were all fantastic inspiring events and thoroughly enjoyed by the children. 

We were thrilled to welcome the amazing Abi Elphinstone in April 2025 to speak to Years 3 and 4 about her Ember Spark book series and her life as an author. It was a brilliant event and the children had a fabulous time.

On Thursday 6th March (World Book Day), we were delighted to host author Claire Hatcher-Smith to talk to Years 4, 5 and 6 about her debut novel The Mizzy Mysteries. The children really enjoyed learning how to think like detectives.

On Thursday 27th February, Years 5 and 6 enjoyed a fabulous visit from author Annelise Gray. She gave a fascinating interactive talk about Ancient Rome, chariot racing and the parallels with Formula One and left lots of children eager to read her Circus Maximus series.

On Monday 24th February, Years 3 and 4 had the amazing opportunity to see author and illustrator Neill Cameron at KES Junior School. He talked to the children about his Mega Robo Bros series and about creating exciting, funny comic books and they had the chance to try out their drawing skills!

In September / October 2024, all classes from Year 1 to Year 6 enjoyed brilliant trips to the Bath Children’s Literature Festival to see Katherine Rundell, A F Steadman, Onjali Q Rauf, Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre and Cressida Cowell. Many thanks to Bath Festivals for these amazing opportunities and for the free book which was given to every child with their ticket.

Please see below for the fabulous visits which have taken place in the last six years (in addition to the annual visits to the Bath Children’s Literature Festival).

• On Thursday 2nd May 2024 we were delighted to host Piu DasGupta who spoke to Years 4, 5 and 6 about her amazing debut novel Secrets of the Snakestone.
• On Wednesday 17th April 2024, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 had a fabulous time with award winning author and illustrator Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
• Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 enjoyed an exciting visit from Sarah Coyle for an interactive Pick a Story session on Wednesday 8th February 2023.
• Catherine Doyle, author of the Storm Keepers series, visited Year 5 and 6 on Friday 22nd March 2024 to speak our Pirates of Darksea
• Years 3 and 4 visited KES on 5th March 2024 to hear Laura Ellen Anderson talking about Marnie Midnight
• E L Norry visited Years 5 and 6 to give a brilliant talk about her new book Fablehouse on Friday 23rd June 2023
• Tamsin Mori to speak to Years 4, 5 and 6 about the final book in her brilliant Weather Weaver series. 
• Eve Wersocki Morris who visited Years 5 and 6 on Wednesday 18th January 2023 to talk about her new book The Wildstorm Curse.  
• Years 3 and 4 visited KES to hear Abi Elphinstone talking about her new book Saving Neverland
• Cerrie Burnell in May 2022 to talk to Years  4, 5 and 6 about her new book Wilder than Midnight
• A live Zoom event with Cressida Cowell in June 2021 to talk about her new book in the Wizards of Once series – Never and Forever.
• Hannah Shaw in February 2020 to talk to Years 1, 2 and 3 about her new book Unipiggle: Unicorn Muddle.
• Anna James in October 2019 to talk to Years 4 and 6 about her Pages & Co series of books. 
• Stewart Foster in July 2019 to talk to Years 4 and 6 about his new book Check Mates
• Abi Elphinstone in June 2019 to talk to Years 3, 4 and 5 about her new book Rumblestar
• Catherine Bruton in May 2019 to talk to Year 6 about her critically acclaimed new book No Ballet Shoes In Syria 
• Fleur Hitchcock in March 2019 to talk to the whole school about her new books Clifftoppers and the Boy Who Flew
• Costa Children’s Book Award winner Jasbinder Bilan in February 2019 to talk to Years 4 and 5 about her debut novel Asha and the Spirit Bird
• Carina Axelsson in January  2019 to talk to Years 4 and 6 about her new book Royal Rebel 
• Years 5 and 6 also enjoyed an inspiring trip to Frome in February 2019 to see the brilliant authors Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Nicki Thornton and Maz Evans. Many thanks to Bath Festivals and The Little Things Magazine for organising this free event.