Learning Resources for Education service

Find out about our different subscriptions and 'tailor-made' service.

Once you know what subscription you would like, or what resources you want to borrow, please contact us.

​Subscribing schools are sent order forms before each 12 week term. Forms can be returned to us by email, fax or post. Please submit your requests by the date stated on the form so we can guarantee delivery for the next term.

Schools wishing to borrow on an ad-hoc basis can contact us to discuss their requirements and to place an order.

We send subscribing schools a list of all planned delivery and collection dates for the year when they subscribe. We aim to deliver within the first 6 teaching days of each school term.

Please make sure you submit your requests on time as any late requests may be delivered at a later date depending on availability. Delivery is made to your school reception.

Non-subscribing schools who borrow ad-hoc resources are charged £10 for delivery and collection.

Maintained schools

We raise invoices for payment for subscribing schools in October of each year.

Academies

We invoice twice, aligning with the academy financial year:

• once in July for 5 months of the total subscription cost
• again in October for the remaining 7 months

Prices will have VAT added.

Out-of-county schools

Any schools from neighbouring counties are welcome to subscribe or borrow on an ad-hoc basis. Invoicing for out-of-county subscriptions will be once a year in October (including VAT if applicable).

Ad-hoc borrowing

Any school or setting that borrows on an ad-hoc basis will be invoiced once their resources are delivered (including VAT if applicable).

All payment terms are 30 days from receipt of invoice.

Service description

Learning Resources for Education (LRE) is Northamptonshire’s school library service, serving both West Northamptonshire and North Northamptonshire unitary authorities, as well as outlying school in other counties not served by a school library service.

We provide schools and other educational settings with a wide range of curriculum support materials, e-lending materials, advice, and support plus access to discounts on purchasing your own materials for your school library. Our resources support curriculums from Foundation to Key Stage 3 and allow schools, settings, private tutors, and home schoolers to maximise their budgets through the provision of cost effective, quality learning resources.

Timescales and deadlines

LRE will publish details of their services on their website in January each year and post details of the services to all current subscribing schools and settings.

Schools are requested to submit the subscription order form electronically or in hard copy to LRE by the 18 March 2022 . If we have not been notified by current subscribing schools of any changes to their subscription by the end of March, we will take this as a continuation of services bought into for 2021-22.

Schools who do not currently subscribe to LRE should submit their form as soon as possible. Schools can take out a subscription part way through the financial year and will be charged for the proportion of the year for which they have subscribed.

Schools who have a subscription but do not submit any requests will still be charged for their subscription. LRE will contact schools before and after request deadlines to remind them to make their termly requests but it is the school’s responsibility to make sure they order what they are entitled to according to their subscription. 

LRE's offer

We offer all primary, secondary, special, and EYFS phases (including partnership, independent and academies) as well as those home-schooling or using our services ad hoc, access to a selection of services which provide value for money and the flexibility to tailor provision to their specific requirements. 
LRE will provide:

• delivery to and from subscribing schools and settings on agreed dates. Resources will be delivered to and collected from subscribing schools within 6 working days of the start and end of each term. Schools will be informed of these dates in advance
• if an advertised collection is unavailable, we will endeavour to supply you with the closest alternative
• advisory visits by a library professional focused on supporting the school’s literacy and library developmental priorities, as requested by schools
• regular network meetings for school library and literacy staff
• a half termly newsletter with LRE updates and information about literacy and curriculum resources and initiatives
• access to discounts available from recognised library suppliers providing further opportunities to maximise budgets and receive advice and guidance on current quality education resources

In addition, we will:

• provide telephone, fax and email response for school library, reading and literacy queries, which will be open 5 days a week during normal office hours. Email [email protected] telephone: 01604 362964, fax: 01604 362979.
• maintain a comprehensive Schools Library Service website which provides further detail about our services
• maintain social media channels to promote and highlight our service - follow us on Twitter @LRENorthants and Facebook @LearningResourcesforEducation

We ask that schools

• ensure administrative procedures are in place within the school to co-ordinate and monitor requests for projects and leased stock, submitting them to LRE by the dates requested, to ensure teaching staff and pupils have the maximum time to benefit from these resources. Delivery and collection of items can only be guaranteed during the periods already identified in the scheduled dates sent to schools when request forms are submitted by the designated reply date
• co-ordinate the responsibility for leased resources to reduce loss or damage, minimising the need for the implementation of LRE’s Replacement Cost Policy
• ensure that books and resources are cared for, with allowances for general wear and tear
• ensure that LRE barcodes and labels on books and resources are not stickered over or removed. Schools can add their own barcodes but please do not cover LRE ones
• ensure that LRE’s own boxes are returned to LRE
• liaise with the LRE team to arrange visits and advice
• notify LRE of any closures or incidents that may affect delivery or collection of resources from school
• provide LRE with up-to-date contact information for the school or the person coordinating requests, such as a school librarian, bursar, administrative assistant or teacher
• ensure prompt payment for services on receipt of invoices

Abilities and experience

This service is managed and organised by a team of professional, experienced and highly skilled staff with extensive knowledge of the changing education environment, curriculums, Ofsted recommendations and programmes to support children’s literacy development.

Price of the service

Our subscription packages are reviewed annually and these very competitive prices are achieved through economies of scale, benefiting from being part of a wider library book purchasing consortium. Value statements indicate how cost effective the service is, particularly when compared with individual school spending.

Payment

Local Authority maintained schools, private schools or private, voluntary and independent nursery/playgroup settings will be invoiced for services from April 2022 to March 2023 in October 2022.

Academies will be invoiced twice a year to keep in line with the Academy financial year - once in June 2022 for five twelfths of the full year cost and again in October 2022 for the remaining seven twelfths of the full year cost.

Schools or settings that borrow resources on an ad hoc basis will be invoiced once resources have been delivered.

Please follow the instructions on the invoicing paperwork to make payment. Payment terms are 30 days from receipt of invoice.

For schools for whom the price is calculated from the number of pupils on roll, LRE will contact the local authority education department in October and January of each year for the pupil census and calculate the price from the number of pupils on roll according to the census.

Length of agreements and notice period

Subscription services are provided under an annual contract running from 1 April to 31 March. The reply date for schools for 2022 is 18 March in order for us to prepare for the new financial year. If schools that already subscribe have not notified us of a change of subscription by the end of March, the agreement for 2021-22 will be automatically renewed. After April 2022, 12 weeks written notice is required to cancel any previously agreed packages. Notification after to 30 September 2022 will mean that the subscription will run to 31 March 2023.

Schools which have taken out a 2- or 3-Year Agreement are committed to the full term. Penalty Clauses may be implemented when a school requests an early termination of the agreement.

Schools that borrow resources on an ad hoc basis are not tied to any notice periods or subscriptions.

Contact information

For further information regarding any services provided by Learning Resources for Education please contact:

Learning Resources for Education
Booth Meadow House
Museum Way
Riverside Park
Northampton
NN3 9HW

Telephone: 01604 362964
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Fax: 01604 362979

Our staff can visit your school library and provide you with a detailed report of recommendations on how you can make the most of your library and our service as part of our offer to all subscribers.

Non-subscribing schools, or those who use us on an ad-hoc basis, can also book a visit at a cost.

Email us to book.

​Don't have enough hours in the day to sort and tidy your library? Let us do it for you! We will come to your school library to:

• delete old or out-of-date books
• re-label
• rearrange your library

This service is available to all subscribed and unsubscribed schools and price depends on the amount of books you have, how long it will take and how many LRE staff will need to attend.

​We hold three network meetings a year for school librarians and their library staff.

It's a great opportunity to meet with employees from other schools, share experiences and ideas, as well as visit our showroom. These meetings are open to all school staff or librarians, regardless of whether you subscribe to us.

We email a half-termly newsletter to all schools in the county with our updates, 'bookish' news and events. If you would like to receive a copy in your inbox every half term, please email [email protected].

Spend an afternoon browsing our shelves and picking your own books. You can bring along a few students to choose books for their classmates (maximum of 4 students per 1 member of school staff).

Schools who have long-term leasing stock are able to exchange books up to 3 times a year and this is the perfect opportunity to choose what to borrow.

​Peters is a specialist children's book supplier with a showroom based in Birmingham.

We organise trips to Peters via a minibus from our base at Booth Meadow House in Northampton, from where you can travel to Peters to spend a day choosing books for your school library at a discounted rate. Lunch is also provided. It is always a great day out and there are often some freebies to be had.

There is a small charge for this trip to cover minibus hire. This offer is open to both subscribing and non-subscribing schools alike. Upcoming visits are advertised in our newsletter.

​Order discounted books delivered to your school with Peters Books, the specialist children’s bookseller. You can save up to 26% on the cover price of books. Contact us to find out more and how to access the Peters Books portal.