Educational Studies: School Practice

The School Practice Collection is on the first floor of the Library in the Rutherford Building, and contains about 20,000 items. The main aim of the Collection is to help students on teaching practice by providing books and other materials for use in the classroom and for lesson preparation. The collection consists of two sections: books and audio-visual, and other multi-media material.

See our separate reading list for a selection of free Educational Teaching Resources online.

Books and audio-visual

The book collection covers all age and ability groups from pre-school to A-level, and includes teachers' books for use with children. The main sequence of books is arranged by Dewey Decimal Classification, as in the rest of the Library, and includes all the non-fiction subjects, as well as fairy tales, myths and legends, graphic novels, and poetry and drama.

• Novels and picture books are shelved separately at the end of the book sequence: IFIC, JFIC, SFIC and PICT are infant, junior and senior fiction, and picture books. Big books can be found on the racks nearby.
• Audio-visual: Individual CDs, CD-ROMs and DVDs for loan are stored on the shelves with the books. Books with CDs are shelved with the books.

Multi-media material

The School Practice multi-media collection is housed at the end of the book sequence. Items are classified in the same way as the books, but stored by format. 

• Kits - These are multi-media items, such as teaching objects and games, shelved in a sequence after the 900s books.
• Project packs - These items are usually documents and pictures in a folder, stored in a filing cabinet.
• Picture charts - Charts and posters are stored rolled in cardboard tubes, in a metal bin.

Library Search and Loans

All School Practice items can be found on Library Search. The 'Refine my Results' options includes a School Practice collection filter. There is a catalogue terminal on the 1st floor near the School Practice area.

All items can be borrowed and returned at the self-service machines or the help desk. Most items are available for three weeks. For loan allowances including School Practice items, please consult our borrowing allowances page.

Returning School Practice Items

When borrowing and returning items with multiple parts, please check the contents, as responsibility for them rests with the borrower. We cannot check items at the help desk, but we do this on their return.

Renewals and Enquiries

Loans are automatically renewed on the system, but this can also be done on Library Search or self-issue machines. Please note that reserved items cannot be renewed. If you have any other School Practice enquiries, please contact the Education Subject Librarian, Mark Preston; e-mail m.preston@gold.ac.uk.