At Gravesend Grammar School we recognise that reading is a fundamental building block of a student’s learning. It is proven that children who read will do better in their learning and in their exams. It is our mission to promote reading as a pleasurable activity. After all, what better pastime is there than getting lost in another world? Maybe learning to train dragons, or fighting evil monsters. We are very proud of our book collection of almost 12,000 titles and we can assure you there is something for everyone from adventure to romance and dystopian worlds to sport.
Every student is expected to read for 20 minutes every day.
The main GGS library is situated at the top of the main building. It is a large space with lots of light and beautiful stained glass windows representing the school houses. We are sure that many parents will remember the bespoke oak bookcases from their time here with us.
Students can use the space to read, do homework or study and to print off any homework they may need.
We have recently set up a new library in room 600 where our sixth formers can find non-fiction books to help them with their studies and fiction books including the Millenium classic collection and many new titles.
We start our reading journey in year 7 using a program called Renaissance Learning that helps us identify the boys’ reading ages and track their progress throughout the year. For every book a student reads, there is a quiz to take and successful completion results in a growing wordcount. Students are rewarded with certificates, merits and badges throughout the year.
In year 8, the students switch to a program called Bedrock. Bedrock Learning is a programme designed to teach a range of new vocabulary through a variety of non-fiction lessons and tasks. Bedrock allocates points to each completed task and students are expected to reach 20 points every week.