Transcript

SARAH:

So we have to remember that our libraries serve the whole of the school community, and that means that students come in a variety of different shapes, sizes, and with all their different needs.

But it's important that we recognise that sometimes, we need the expertise of others to help us. For example, if I had a student who got dyslexia, then I would go and look for the special needs coordinator, and I would, the SENCo, and I would try and find out some information from them.

I had a student once in my library who just wouldn't sit still, and they were jumping around all over the place. And I wondered, I looked at the school management system and realised they were on the special needs register. So I went to the SENCo, and she was able to give me a special cushion for this student to sit on. Well, it didn't completely solve the problem, but it certainly improved the situation that I was facing.

Sometimes, I might have a student in my library who seems a bit down, or perhaps they've got known mental health issues. And then I'd probably go and seek out some help and information maybe from their tutor, or their learning mentor, or even the school nurse or a school counsellor. I can't solve the problems for these students because I haven't had the training. But what I can do is to learn how to handle their needs with sensitivity and to be aware of them.

The real go-to place is the school office. If you need to find anything to do with the students, they maintain the school management system, and the good thing is now I can actually have that on my computer in the library so I can look up and check on students that I feel there might be another underlying issue that I need to be aware of.