In addition, the Moving Together Towards a Library in Every Primary School report found that significantly fewer primary schools located in the North of England currently have library spaces or access to books. 18% and 16% of state primary schools in the North East and North West respectively do not have libraries, versus 6% in the South East of England – so around triple the number. This is important because the North East and North West also have the lowest levels of children achieving expected levels in reading at Key Stage One and Two and beyond. For the UK nations, more state primary schools in Northern Ireland (41%) said they don’t have a dedicated school library area, followed by Scotland (25%) and Wales (23%).

Founded in November 2021 by the National Literacy Trust and Penguin Random House UK, the Alliance works with its flagship partners to address the chronic lack of investment in primary school libraries and bring together relevant parties to help solve this urgent issue. The Alliance aims to transform 1,000 primary school libraries by 2025. Flagship partners include publishing house Puffin Books, digital bank Chase, Oxford University Press, the Marcus Rashford Book Club, and additionally there are 26 supporting organisations. In its first twelve months, the Alliance has involved 334 schools in its programmes to transform school reading spaces in underserved communities in the UK, including donating 165,840 books.

The Primary School Library Alliance believes that by bringing together expertise and resources from partners across a number of sectors it can more effectively support children’s educational outcomes, and ensure the wider emotional and economic benefits of reading for pleasure can be felt by all children. The Primary School Library Alliance is calling on the government to signal its commitment to this target by supporting the development of primary school libraries in the following ways:

1. The Secretary of State for Education publicly acknowledging the positive role that primary school libraries can play in boosting literacy and endorse the aims and approach of the Primary School Library Alliance.
2. The Department for Education committing to ensuring that every primary school has a library by 2025 and publish an action plan setting out how it will work in partnership with others to achieve this goal.
3. The Department for Education working with the Primary School Library Alliance to agree upon a sustainable, long-term funding model. For example, the introduction of a government matched funding programme, in which the government pays a proportion of the total costs, could help to leverage further private sector investment and secure high- quality resources.

Jonathan Douglas CBE, National Literacy Trust CEO said: “It’s devastating to discover that over three-quarters of a million children don’t have access to a library in their primary school, when we know this and reading for pleasure play such valuable roles in academic performance, well-being and their chances of being successful in life. The challenge of transforming and sustaining primary school libraries is a large-scale challenge and this report clearly sets out the gap in provision. Whilst the multi-partner approach of the Primary School Library Alliance may help us solve almost half this unmet need, we would welcome a positive dialogue with the Government about moving closer to every school having a primary school library or designated library space with diverse, modern book stock and trained, skilled staff.”

Rebecca Sinclair, Chief Brand Officer at Penguin Random House UK, said: “At Penguin we believe that every child should have the right to read and access books, as well as the space and time to read for pleasure. Children are shaped intellectually and emotionally by the books they read, and by stories they see themselves in and can be inspired by. Libraries and reading spaces in primary schools are essential for this, which is why we continue to invest in and support our partners through the Primary School Library Alliance. After just a year of the Alliance we are already seeing the value of this type of public/private partnership model for achieving positive change, and see great opportunity to scale this for further success.”

Cressida Cowell MBE, children’s author and National Literacy Trust Ambassador, said: “As the Children’s Laureate, I included a child’s right to access new books in schools and libraries in my Children’s Charter, and the fact that hundreds of thousands of children in the UK are being denied that right is devastating. How can a child learn to read for the joy of it if their parents cannot afford books, and their primary school does not have a library? It’s a social mobility time bomb. Libraries transform school life far beyond the library doors. They boost attainment, ambition, and attention in the classroom; and improve well-being, alongside increased empathy, confidence and self-worth. Libraries are a space that nothing else can replicate, and the results are clear: they are an intervention that works. We must work together to change this story and put a library and a librarian in every school.”

The awards recognise the country’s best school library workers, their achievements, and their work to create and drive incredibly positive contributions to learning. According to a poll of SLA members, over 3 million books were lent to pupils over the last year alone, an average of 18 books per pupil.

These annual awards recognise, celebrate and promote the vital role school libraries play within their communities. Considered the most influential accolade in the industry, the annual awards are open to all state, academy and private schools. They are designed to identify and celebrate examples of best practice across the UK.

The judges selected one ‘Secondary School Librarian of the Year’ award winner and two joint winners in the ‘Primary School’ category. One winner was presented with the award in the ‘Enterprise’ category and one winner of the ‘Community Award’. The judges also gave a highly commended award to Hull Schools Library Service for its work with St Charles Academy.

The winners of the School Library Association 2022 awards in each category were:

The panels of judges, comprised of SLA trustees, authors, educational leaders and former SLA award winners, evaluated the entries based on each school’s needs, potential and commitment to supporting education standards.

Judges of the ‘School Librarian of the Year’ award in the ‘Secondary School’ category presented the trophy to Derek France of Preston Lodge High School, East Lothian, because of his engagement with his school’s different departments; bringing the library into the heart of the school. Derek runs fun and engaging research lessons tailored to what each class and teacher needs. The library feels like part of the life of the school.

Headteacher, Gavin Clark said: “Derek has energised a love for literature through many clubs. He empowers the students to start their own clubs including the new feminism club in the library which was proposed by a group of students. He has also organised many online author visits. A science teacher commented that this is the first school where he has taken advantage of the library, not because of the space but because of the librarian.”

Rumena Atkar of Firs Primary School, Castle Bromwich, and Jenny Griffiths of Ravenscourt Park Preparatory School, London, were jointly awarded ‘School Librarian of the Year’ in the ‘Primary School’ category. The judges remarked that Rumena has managed to establish a whole school reading culture making a huge impact on learning. Every teacher the judges spoke to could name a child that has been positively impacted by Rumena.  She is the only librarian in the Trust and shows what a difference a librarian can make in a primary school setting.

In London, parents are choosing to send their children to Ravenscourt Park because of the library that Jenny Griffiths runs. The judges noted the constant stream of pupils wanting to borrow books, and because Jenny knows each of the students so well, she can always recommend a book they will love. Jenny also works really well with all members of staff and incorporates their teaching into her story-time, either through the choice of books or through what she chooses to highlight. She even runs a pupil librarian scheme and gets involved in all school open days.

For the Enterprise of the Year Award, the judges were impressed by the highly imaginative project run by Broughton Junior School in Aylesbury, Berkshire. The unprecedented use of space in both of the library areas – the garden and the ‘Victorian’ reading room, was respected by the judges as magical, with books that ‘mirrored’ the local community and in turn, encouraged the children’s curiosity.

The winner of the ‘Community Award’, which recognises wider support for the school library from local businesses or individuals, was the Alexandra Palace Children’s Book Award Team which included Helen Swinyard, Tanya Efthymiou, Gill Ward, and Kate Ereira. The project demonstrated a brilliant joint working initiative between primary, secondary schools and public libraries; one that the judges noted was refreshed each year to keep it feeling new. The longevity and growth of this project over several years is proof of how it is valued by the community.

Alison Tarrant, Chief Executive Officer at the School Library Association said: “We were really impressed with the high quality of entries for this year, and our panels of esteemed judges had an incredibly hard time selecting the winners – even harder than usual!

“To be named as an honouree is a great achievement in itself, but to be crowned a SLA Awards winner at a time when school libraries are vital for post-pandemic recovery to become the heart of so many schools, is something to truly celebrate. On behalf of all the judges, I would like to congratulate the winners.  They should be extremely proud of receiving this accolade, and we look forward to sharing their knowledge and experience with other schools across the UK.

“The awards play such a valuable part in not only rewarding excellence but also helping other schools to see what is possible. The SLA team and our panel of esteemed judges were amazed by the creativity and determination demonstrated by the winners.

“Congratulations to them all.”

For more information, please visit www.sla.org.uk.

Considered the most influential accolade in the industry, the annual awards, which are open to state, academy and private SLA members, identify and celebrate examples of best practice across the UK.

The judges selected thirteen school librarians and schools to honour, across three categories of excellence: School Librarian of the Year Award, Community Award and Enterprise Award.

Judges of the School Librarian of the Year award were looking for librarians demonstrating a commitment to continual professional development, strong engagement with all school departments, innovative stock rotation and excellent examples of pastoral care.

In the Enterprise of the Year award, the judges considered evidence of individual projects that involved the imaginative use of resources in the form of space and stock along with any other initiatives such as a rebuilding or refurbishment project.

The Community Award highlights wider support for the school library. This included backing from a local business or individuals who have provided outstanding assistance to a school whether this be in the form of funding, infrastructure, advice, resources or simply their time.

The panel of judges, comprised of SLA trustees, authors, charity fundraisers and former SLA award winners, evaluated each entry based on its appreciation of the sector’s needs, potential and commitment to supporting education standards.

The honourees of the School Library Association Awards 2022 in each category are:

The winners in each of the three categories will be announced on the 20^th October.

Alison Tarrant, chief executive office of the SLA  (pictured left) said: “This year we had more entries than we anticipated, given the intense time schools were experiencing last September, and it was great to launch our two new Awards: the Community Award and Enterprise of the Year Award. Our panel of esteemed judges had an incredibly hard time selecting the honourees. It was a long but very positive experience seeing the level of excellence being achieved in so many schools’ libraries.

“It was also heartening to see the range of work going on in school libraries which is positively impacting not only children, but their families and teachers as well. This support is only more important as we recover from COVID and look to get through another difficult period for most families.”

The nominations for the Awards for 2023 are now open. For more information, please visit https://www.sla.org.uk/awards.