Opened in 1996, The Garrett Library provides a well established, welcoming and attractive environment for study and recreational reading within the College and is much valued by teaching staff and pupils alike.

One of the leading school libraries in the country, it is excellently resourced with over 25,000 books, 1,000 DVDs and videos, 75 newspapers and magazines, and subscriptions to many on-line services, including News UK, The Grove Art and Music dictionaries, the OED, and Scientific American (plus access to the resources of the British and London libraries). 10 multi-media PCs and three laptops are located in the library with access to the Internet, College and wireless networks.

Widely open throughout the week, including evenings, Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons, the library is managed by a chartered librarian and her team who are always on hand to help pupils with their research and requests.

The library plays an important part in teaching pupils to acquire research skills which will enable them to study independently. All pupils undergo some initial library familiarisation when they join the College and this continues as they regularly visit with teaching staff for many of the subjects they study.

The staff give high priority to encouraging pupils to use the library and to read by putting on a wide variety of events and activities during the year – book fairs, author visits, termly quizzes for our scholars, charity readathons, recommended reading lists for year groups and academic subjects, and much more.

Fostering a genuine love of reading, for pleasure and purpose, is what the library is all about. Our hope is that, by the time they leave the College, all of our pupils have acquired this lifelong habit and discipline, standing them in good stead with their further academic studies.