The future of libraries

I read a blog earlier this year about the future of school libraries which caused a huge debate. The central thesis seemed to be that the library of the future might not need to contain any books. This would be replaced by easy access to books online with libraries remaining as attractive learning environments where librarians could guide students in research skills. Given that the idea of a library without books sounds counter-intuitive this provoked a storm of protest and some pretty vitriolic comments on the blog. Coming at the same time as several councils announced plans to scrap local libraries it is not surprising that the nation's librarians were keen to defend their role.  More recently Wellington College announced plans to significantly reduce their stock to make the library more of a learning space than 'the room with the books'.



Radcliffe Camera, Oxford



So what is the future of school libraries? Clearly they provide an excellent environment for students and staff to work. When I was at university I collected memberships of various libraries partially to broaden my access to books but also because they were inspiring places in which to work.  When I first started work at Berkhamsted I was completing a dissertation for my MA and the school library was the perfect place to do my thinking and writing.



Last summer we spent a lot of time and money on improving the facilities for our Sixth Form students. Central to this was more than doubling the size of the Careers Library, putting in more computers and access to a WiFi network throughout the building. There are an enormous number of rooms where the students can work (we are fortunate to be in a large and beautiful 500 year old building) but what is striking is that they gravitate towards the Careers Library and other shared study spaces. I'm sure that part of the appeal is the same as it was for me - great spaces are great places to work. More than that though, humans are sociable animals and I think my students are drawn to where others are working. When they need to totally zone in they will go back to one of the many House Rooms in the building where they can usually guarantee some solitude.

What I would like to see though is more of them with a pile of books and articles on their desks as evidence that they are synthesising material from a variety of sources.  The truth is that mostly they do not need to do this as part of their A Level studies.  I don't think there's much change here since I was in their shoes just over 20 years ago.  All I needed came from one core textbook and the teaching in the classroom.  However, in the Upper Sixth I 'discovered' the theology section of the school library and with very little additional work I found that my essays improved dramatically.



Worcester College Library, Oxford



My angle is that students may not need to research independently for their A Levels but that they should do so.  There are a number of clear benefits to this.

• It develops their love and understanding of the subject.
• It will improve their performance and strengthen their applications to universities.
• Synthesis, selection and deployment of information are skills most of use in our professional lives.
• It will better prepare them for the independent study expected at university.
• Increasingly post-graduate study is becoming more common which is where such skills are mandatory not optional.

So it seems to come down to an age-old debate in education, one set against the backdrop of the huge pressure to attain the best grades.  Where is the line between ensuring the students are taught in a manner which will deliver the best chances of top grades and making them work more independently with the associated risk of lower performance?

For many years all of our students applying to Oxbridge have had to write an extended essay.  From this September we will be running the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) for a group of Lower Sixth.  Worth half an A Level, this is a 5-6,000 word essay in the style of a mini-thesis which universities love to see as it closely correlates to undergraduate work.  We are running a pilot group which will be drawn from the top 20 performers at GCSE - and over 100 students have expressed interest.  I suspect that we will be running it for pretty large numbers before too long.  I'd like to think the interest shown is more than just seeking an edge in UCAS applications, but part of me isn't particularly fussed - the end may well justify the means.  We are also giving all our Sixth Form students study skills sessions in how to research effectively.

So, what's my solution to the future of libraries?

1. A high quality and updated stock of reading books aimed at the various age groups of the school.  A love of reading is at the heart of all education.
2. Students being guided in research skills and using online resources.
3. Subject specific works for research, with additional access to borrowing from other libraries and online journals.
4. Great spaces all over the school for working.
5. Departments planning opportunities for research essays.

Not exactly re-inventing the wheel but looking to make sure that we get the absolute best out of libraries for staff and students.



Berkhamsted School library



Gap Year or Gap Yah?

We have a very good system in place at our school for guiding students and their parents through the tricky process of applying to university.  Last year, all bar five of the 120 students who applied via UCAS were successful in securing places with an additional 30 students electing to take a gap year.  I suspect we will see an increasing number of students making a first application while in the Upper Sixth but with a game plan of putting in a more focussed bid the year after they have left.  Certainly they offer a great deal to universities with an extra year's maturity and known A Level results especially where their Gap Year engages with opportunities to strengthen their application.

The best Gap Years are those with an opportunity to gain careers experience, academic breadth and the opportunity to take on independence and autonomy.  If that includes an element of service either in the UK or overseas so much the better.  Twenty years ago, my Gap Year led me to spend six months farming in the Falkland Islands, a job as a lambing shepherd in Sussex and two months exploring Europe through an Inter-Rail ticket.  I was still seventeen when I left school and it was an incredibly valuable opportunity to 'grow up' away from school and home and left me much better equipped for life at university and beyond.

Gap Years have always been a little divisive with some seeing them as glorified holidays for public school layabouts.  For a very amusing take on the Gap Yah rather than the Gap Year have a look at this video from YouTube.

Grade inflation increases the pressure

Imperial College, London have made what is being described as the toughest ever offer for a place at university.  A student at Magdalen College School, Oxford has been offered a place to read Mathematics conditional on him attaining two A*s and three As at A Level.  Tim Hands, his Headmaster, made the wry comment that it wasn't the best present Santa could have popped down the chimney although he backs him to make the offer next summer.

I was discussing university entrance over lunch with some of my Upper Sixth last term and talk turned to the changing face of university applications and offers.  This year is expected to be the toughest ever in which to be applying to university with funding being cut, places reduced, some degree courses being scrapped and more students than ever applying to try and beat the introduction of new tuition fees in 2012. In 2009 139,000 students missed out on university places (22% of all applicants).  2010 saw a sharp rise with 188,000 failing to get into university (27% of all applicants) and 2011 will once again see many disappointed applicants.  See this link to the BBC for more details.

Each August the press is full of stories about grade inflation (hence the need to introduce the A* at A Level from last summer).  What is often overlooked is that grade inflation, far from making life easier for today's students, has also had the effect of dramatically increasing pressure on them.  While the grades may be easier to attain, with so many students attaining the top grades there is no margin for error.  A good set of grades can be met more with relief than elation and that is scant reward for the hard work which has led to them.

Our students remain confident and early indications are that they are doing well at securing offers but many of those offers will be extremely challenging and they will need to have sensible insurance offers in place as it becomes increasingly unlikely that universities will honour an offer where it is missed even by one grade.  Increasingly universities are making offers above the tariff published on their web sites and this has led some to make applications in good faith which turn out to be wasted.  Immoral?  Yes and UCAS say it shouldn't be happening but it is and has been the topic of much discussion and annoyance amongst HMC and GSA schools.  Most of our students do a great job of taking it all in their stride but morale is an important component in the process and we should appreciate the pressures on them which didn't exist a few years back.

Dress to impress at school and UBS

The Swiss Bank, UBS, hit the headlines recently when their dress code was leaked. Running to over 40 pages it lays down a comprehensive list of rules to which their employees are expected to adhere and this made me think about our uniform policy at school. Sixth Form students wear a blue suit which they can choose themselves as long as it falls within reasonable parameters of shade, cut and, in the case of the girls, skirt length. It seems to pass the common sense test and looks smart although there will always be those who seek to stretch the boundaries. Our uniform policy is based on what would be acceptable in a professional business environment and I was interested to read a number of articles agreeing that projecting the right image is a key to confidence and success.

There is much in the UBS document that will be familiar from school uniform lists but the areas which have caused most discussion and derision seem to be where the bank has been highly prescriptive such as the most appropriate length of toenails or not putting bulky wallets into the pockets of suit jackets. Certainly it's good for students to realise that looking the part is important but you have to wonder if UBS will need to draw on the expertise of schools in mediating between their desire for conformity and the natural human zest for individuality. Working out how to fit in while retaining a sense of yourself is a great thing to learn in life and it looks as though getting the dress code right remains another part of the 'hidden curriculum' in school.