Jenny and I are delighted that Blanchelande College has been shortlisted for the prestigious UK School Library Association 2023 Enterprise of the Year Award, which is proudly sponsored by Reading Cloud.

Blanchelande opened its newly-built secondary school library in September 2020 to coincide with the induction of its first cohort of Sixth Form students – a truly historic moment in a history that can be traced back through Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries to the 12th century.

I have the honour of being appointed as Blanchelande’s first Librarian and Head of the Inquiry-Based Learning department, which is based in the Library. It is testament to the College’s commitment to learning through an inquiry stance and process within a GCSE and A-Level educational pathway, as well as the effectiveness of the Library’s inquiry-centred instructional programme, that Jenny was appointed as Blanchelande’s second Librarian and EPQ/ HPQ Coordinator.

We are also excited by the opportunity that being shortlisted presents for raising awareness of the full value that a library/ian* that is integral to the educational process adds to a school.

I wrote about this work at Blanchelande at the request of the Editor of ACCESS, the professional journal of the Australian School Library Association, and the article is freely available here.

The winner will be announced at an Award dinner on 11 July.

*A term that Anthony Tilke used for the library and librarian as an interdependent system.