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Education (PGCE Primary and School Direct)

Our NEW guide for Primary ITE students - helping you make the most of the library

School Experience Collection

Examples of SEC resources

Using Library Search for SEC resources

To find resources in SEC using Library Search, simply:

  1. Type your key words into Library Search and press Enter.
  2. Filter by Library Location - tick 'School Experience Collection' in the filters on the left of the results page.
  3. Filter by Material Type - tick 'object' to show Artefacts, tick 'Book' to show all other resource types.

School Experience Collection

The School Experience Collection (SEC) can be found on Level 0 in the library. This collection is aimed at students on school experience placements. It includes:

  • Fiction, Picture Fiction and Big Books collection
  • Religious, historical and other artefacts
  • Topic kits and children's non-fiction titles
  • Lesson planning resources, pictures and posters

Borrowing information

All SEC items can be borrowed for 6 weeks. Items will automatically renew once, unless there is a reservation on them or a problem with your library account. School Experience Collection items do not have extended loan periods for Privilege Scheme members.

When an item is due back, you will be notified to return it within 7 days. Failure to return the item within the 7 days after notification will result in your library account being blocked.

You are still expected to return items on time if you are on placement. Get in touch with us to discuss your circumstances if you are finding it difficult to get into the library to return your library items. 

Story Time

Story Sacks

Story Sacks contain items to enhance your story time. Each sack contains a large picture fiction book with accompanying puppets and props. Favourites include 'The Gruffalo' and 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'. Story Sacks are a great way to engage young children in story time.

Big Books

Large-sized story books are a great way to conduct full class reading which engages young children. The vibrant and colourful illustrations help children develop visual recognition and stimulate their imaginations.

The SEC has both fiction and non-fiction Big Books for you to borrow.

Artefacts

Artefacts are a great way to involve and immerse children in their learning. We have a variety of different artefact collections for you to borrow, including:

  • Religious
  • Historical

We also provide interactive learning materials aimed to help improve:

  • Maths and numeracy
  • Literacy and phonics

Curriculum Material

The SEC has resources covering subject areas across the primary and secondary curriculum.

Lesson Plans

Examples lesson plans are available in a variety of different subjects, including English, Maths, Modern Foreign Languages and Humanities.

We also have a variety of curriculum course books and schemes of work. These offer suggestions on how to plan your lessons.

Please speak with your librarian for support on how to locate and use these resources.

Topic Books

A variety of resources on primary-level topics are available. These range from historical periods to social justice issues.

Please speak with your librarian for support on how to locate and use these resources.

Picture Fiction

The picture fiction collection is aimed at Primary level children. These can be used for story time or as alternatives for quiet reading.

The titles are arranged alphabetically by author's surname within a theme. For example, the shelfmark for 'The Tiger Who Came To Tea' is 'PICTURE FICTION WIL KER' because it is the picture fiction section, under the Wild Animals (WIL) theme, authored by Judith Kerr.

The list of themes and their abbreviations in the shelfmarks are as follows:

  • Action, adventure and historical - ACT 
  • Bears and teddy bears - BEA
  • Christmas and bible stories - CHR
  • Fairy stories - FAI
  • Family - FAM
  • Fantasy, fables and folk stories - FAN
  • Farm animals - FAR
  • Friendship and playtime - FRI
  • Interests, school and jobs - INT
  • Monsters, dragons and dinosaurs - MON
  • Morals, citizenship and issues - MOR
  • Myself, my life, and my feelings - MYS
  • Nursery stories and rhymes - NUR
  • Other cultures - OTH
  • Pets - PET
  • Reptiles, rodents, insects and birds - REP
  • Science, nature, seasons and sea creatures - SCI
  • Space, technology, transport and robots - SPA
  • Wild animals - WIL
  • Wolves, witches, giants and spooky stories - WOL

Last reviewed: 18 September 2024

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