A Call To Arms For School Libraries?

 

This was not my planned topic of my first blog for 2024. I was talking to friends about New Year Resolutions and book reading targets so was going to write up a few tips about how you can achieve this. But you’ll have to wait for that because my social media has been full of talk about libraries.

First we had twelve Children’s Laurates teaming up with BookTrust to launch their “Reading Together, Changing Children’s Lives” campaign that aims to support families in the early stages of a children’s reading journey. This was followed by Philip Pullman, with the support of Michael Morpurgo and Julia Donaldson, calling on the government to legislate to “ensure all schools in Britain have libraries” and then there’s been Baroness Sanderson’s Review of Public Libraries. I guess I should also mention that the Ipsos Veracity Index has put the category of librarians back on the list, resulting in the profession being the third most trusted in Britain.

I love it when the media talk about libraries because it’s an opportunity for advocacy and there are always people who are astounded to discover that school libraries are not statutory. But all this has a slightly déjà vu feeling about it.

Over a decade ago, I organised a Mass Lobby in support of School Libraries; I learnt a lot about “green carding” MPs during this process! We had placards and T shirts, and marched from Victoria Embankment Gardens to Westminster. Leaflets had been printed explaining why school libraries were important and given out to passers-by, most of whom seemed quite amused by this large and loud group of librarians, although I should add that we weren’t all librarians – we had support from parents, students, authors and illustrators.

The result of this lobby was an APPG Libraries report “The Beating Heart of the School”, published in 2014 with four recommendations:

·         The Department for Education starts collecting figures about the number of schools that have a library and librarian

·         The Minister for Schools examines the full contribution that school libraries make to children's education and development

·          Ofsted includes libraries in their inspections

·         The Department for Education has a lead staff-member for school libraries

If these look familiar it’s probably because very similar recommendations have been made by both Michael Morpurgo and the Sanderson review. Time will tell if any recent recommendations are followed through but, suffice to say, that 2014 Report is still gathering dust somewhere  …

What’s interesting is that in all of this talk about libraries, librarians are rarely mentioned. Now, it may be that the assumption is they are automatically included when libraries are discussed but those of us who work in the school sector know this often isn’t the case and a look at the statistics around school libraries confirms this; the 2023 Great School Libraries (GSL) Campaign report shows that 58% of schools (both primary and secondary) don’t have designated library staff. 

This doesn’t give the whole picture though because “designated library staff” could simply mean somebody assigned for a few hours a week.

I could regal you with horror stories about libraries I’ve visited that are run by volunteers or staff whose main role in the school is not being the librarian so this doesn’t get priority and they often “lose” this time to other tasks. The result is frequently libraries where inappropriate books have been put on the shelves (this regularly happens when a popular children’s author writes a YA or adult book and the person choosing the stock has limited book knowledge); where the majority of the fiction has been written by dead white men; libraries full of books that haven’t been labelled in any way so that picture books are mixed up with chapter books and information books; and libraries where the only supplier used was an Usborne rep so that’s all you’ve got on the shelves (I should say here that I love Usborne books but a library should have a range of publishers amongst their resources).

All this happens because the person responsible for the library does not have the relevant skills or experience, ie: they are not a librarian. You need a librarian to turn a room of books into a library, the same way you need an instructor to turn a room full of bikes into a spin class. You don’t have to take my word for this. There is a growing body of international research-based evidence that shows the impact of having a school librarian - some examples include:

·         A Pennsylvania study showed that  schools that had a full-time librarian, reading scores were consistently better for all students

·         An Australian report found that having a qualified librarian improved student literacy outcomes with up to two month’s learning gain

·         An HMI Ofsted report found that “well-trained specialist librarians had a positive effect on teaching and learning”

·         Research from New Zealand shows evidence that school libraries and library staff have a positive impact on student achievement

·         Scottish Book Trust research indicates that school libraries and librarians have value beyond academic achievement

Experienced and trained librarians bring so much more to a school library and its community. They are not simply curators of books or supervisors of the space; they manage a range of resources (hard copy and online) to meet curriculum and teaching needs of students and staff; they support learning to read, reading improvement, reading for information and reading for pleasure; they help students find relevant resources for educational and personal needs; they deliver information and digital literacy skills teaching; they promote the library resources and services throughout the school community; they engender a range of inclusive activities and events; and they provide a safe and welcoming space.

As I said in a guest blog for BookTrust last year, you can create a wonderful library space full of books but it needs a librarian – to plan and implement strategies and actions that link to school community needs – otherwise it is likely to become a rather tired-looking and muddled room. I know school budgets are at breaking point but you will not get the full package, the full benefits or full value-for-money from your library without a librarian. 

 

Managing Safe & Inclusive Library Spaces - CILIP Guidelines make sense for school libraries too.

 CILIP recently published “Managing Safe and Inclusive Public Library Services: a practical guide” - aimed primarily at public libraries but with references to good practice for other library services such as schools and prisons, and with key principles based around CILIP’s ethical framework, that could be applied across all library environments. I always like to read these documents with my school librarian hat on to see if they could be useful to the sector.

School and public libraries are very similar – they have a varied collection of resources (both hard copy and digital), offer a range of services aimed at their community’s needs, provide internet access, and run activities and events – but they are also very dissimilar. A school library community has specific demographics that come with specific needs. There is a range of statutory DfE requirements that need to be taken into consideration along with bespoke policies that may be applicable to that particular school. The library space is managed within the school day with booked and ad hoc lessons, and many school librarians are solo workers, undertaking all library tasks usually managed by a team.

It should also be noted that the guidance has been written in the context of the growing suppression of freedom of expression, the increase in online harms and attacks on marginalised communities. Certainly the school library sector is not immune from these so it is important to be prepared for any such incidences and to ensure that the safe and inclusive spaces we provide for all students are not threatened or diminished. As the guidance says “don’t be scared but do be prepared.”

The contents are divided into several sections, some of which are more relevant to school libraries than others, and the document is eminently readable, a nice change from other published official guidelines I’ve read this year! I’ve highlighted the aspects that I think are the most applicable to school libraries but it’s worth reading the whole document if you have time.

·         Freedom of expression for libraries: This section is based on Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998 and reinforces CILIP’s ethical and professional commitment within the context of book bans and contested spaces, and the duty of librarians to oppose any form of censorship. The recommendation from CILIP is for librarians to resist the removal of titles, explaining the implications of censorship, and to make CILIP aware of any incidences. This can be hard to do within the framework of a school library. The instinctive reaction of many senior school leaders, when faced with challenges from parents, is to keep the peace and remove the offending item. However, I truly believe this is a slippery slope; once you remove a book merely because somebody has objected to it and not assessed the title against your stock selection policy to determine whether the challenge is valid (or even legal), you have little argument against any other book challenges.

·         Key principles: There are 11 key principles; I’m not going to list them as it’s easy enough to read them fully in the guidance. There’s also a very useful checklist to help library staff consider various issues. All the principles are relevant but some may be of more use to school librarians than others:

- Understanding the law and its limits
Although schools have a range of legal policies and procedures they need to implement, it is important that “access to information, events, activities … should not be prohibited unless it has been prohibited by law.” The reality is that school libraries are “in loco parentis” and need to ensure that their collection and any activities are suitable for the age of the students, which can be difficult when you are working with a range from 11 to 18 years. It can also be hard when parents have different perspectives regarding what they think is suitable for their own children. Nevertheless, we shouldn’t avoid books aimed at older students just because we have younger ones in the school. And we certainly should not let one or two parents determine what is suitable for the whole of the student body to read.

- Reflect on your biases
We are all susceptible to personal biases; I think it’s fair to say that my library collection probably had quite a few books that featured dragons and I had to make a conscious effort to seek out and purchase manga for my students as I’m not a fan myself. So we need to be aware of our own preconceptions and possible prejudices to mitigate their impact. A collection diversity audit can help to overcome this as well as a pro-active approach and training in stock selection, and involve your students in the process to create an inclusive environment.

- Develop appropriate policies
As I’ve mentioned, a school library will be subject to a range of policies that will vary from school to school. The DfE has a list though be aware that these may be different for the devolved nations. Libraries should also have their own policies relating to collection development, weeding, dealing with donations and book challenges, use of the library, IT use, etc. However, it’s my experience that the creation and updating of school library policies receives little attention in most schools. This may be partly because people rarely ask for any library policies. They’re not a statutory requirement and, with most school days filled with a never-ending to-do list and a constant stream of student requests, it’s hard to find the time and motivation to sit down and write them. But they should be the guiding values that underpin your collection and services, ideally linked to the school’s mission, development and relevant policies. And when you receive that book challenge and don’t have a policy to direct the challenger to then it’s almost too late to write it.

- Train your staff
It is important that all library staff are aware of school policies in relation to the library. These tend to be on the website for ease of access so consider adding specific library policies as well. Policies change over time; sign up to the relevant DfE newsletters so you’re not reliant on other staff telling you when they have been amended and ensure you maintain your awareness of any changes in the law that impact on schools. Another important aspect is ensuring staff are aware of library policies, particularly those that deal with book challenges. A parent/carer’s first contact may be with a tutor or member of the SMT rather than the librarian and if they’re not aware of your collection development policy, their first reaction may be to say “they’ll get the librarian to take it off the shelf” – not realising the implications around censorship or the legal requirements of the Equality Act’s protected characteristics. If you have a robust policy in place with clear guidelines and procedures, staff (including the librarian) will have the confidence to deal with any such issues.

- Reflect and learn from experience
As anyone who works in a school will tell you, it is a dynamic environment with constant changes and updates. The library is no exception. This means it is essential that librarians maintain their CPD around the aspects covered in this guidance, and regularly review and adjust any policies.

·         The law and its limits: This section considers intellectual freedom and its limitations in UK law, the Equality Act 2010 and hate speech. These are all relevant to school libraries but it should be noted that public libraries also have byelaws to consider. 

·         Management of stock: The management of library stock is a core function that is on-going and active, changing to reflect the demographics, needs and interests of the school community, and encompassing a range of perspectives and viewpoints. It should be underpinned by a robust collection development policy covering all aspects including selection, weeding, disposal and donations, ensuring the collection is developed according to the policy rather than the personal views or interests of staff, suppliers, parents, etc. However, ultimately, it should be the librarian who makes the final decision as to whether to stock a particular resource; they are the person who knows the existing stock and where there are gaps in the collection, they know the school demographics and students’ interests, they know their readers, and they know the curriculum. Schools need to use their librarian’s experience and knowledge when it comes to collection management.
The section talks about involving others. The majority of school librarians connect with their students to ensure any requests and interests are included in the collection – obviously within reason and assessing for cost effectiveness and suitability. Teacher requests are also taken on board although I find many are unaware of new publications that might be useful within their subject and, in the past, I have ordered requested items only to find, when they arrived, that they were teaching rather than library resources. I soon learnt through this experience!
Promotion is also mentioned and the guidance points out that these activities are to “raise awareness, encourage understanding, improve accessibility and increase library usage” (p29) rather than promoting a particular belief or opinion. I recently saw a post on X (aka Twitter) where a US school librarian said they didn’t put up any Christmas decorations as it wasn’t inclusive. If you follow this thinking through then you also wouldn’t have any displays around Diwali, Hanukkah or the Chinese New Year; surely “inclusiveness” doesn’t mean not celebrating anything but rather including “everyone”? So find out what your school demographics are and make sure you feature displays throughout the year that reflect their festivals and celebrations – this way students will feel welcomed in the library.

·         Public internet access and public spaces: These sections aren’t quite so relevant to school libraries. School internet access will be filtered with many websites blocked (I can remember a student undertaking a project on breast cancer who couldn’t even access the major charities from the library computers) and the school will have its own IT use policy/agreement that all students and parents sign. Likewise, the school library is not a public space; even if the school runs community activities, these are likely to occur outside of school hours when students are not present.

·         Events and activities: Both public and school libraries organise and run a wide range of events and activities. In schools these are often linked to in-house, local or national events and most librarians will have an annual programme designed to entice the school community to engage with the library and to promote sections of the collection. This section (p37 – 45) has a list of possible suggestions that school librarians may find useful, along with some guidance around planning, promoting and evaluating activities and events that could easily be adapted for school library use.

·         Managing challenge: The guidance states that “when considering how best to manage challenges to library services, it is always helpful to work with the governing institution – whether that is a local authority, school board or prison governor (p46).” It really is vital that you have the support of your Headteacher and governing body with regards to your Collection Development policy and procedures for dealing with any challenges. Without this support, you are likely to be one small protesting voice, which could feel rather daunting. If you’re not sure how to approach this, why not write a draft policy and discuss it with your line manager, raising the US book banning situation and the increase of such incidences in the UK. Librarians who have spoken to their Heads about this have reported that the Head had no idea and was shocked, immediately getting involved in creating a procedure for any challenges. If you’re not sure where to start I’ve written a blog about creating a Collection Development Policy.

This is an extremely relevant and beneficial document, and the above is a brief overview. It is unlikely your SMT will read it as they will see it as being aimed at public libraries and thus not relevant to the school library so it may be on you, the school librarian, to extract the pertinent points. At the very least, it will provide you with valuable CPD reading to increase your knowledge around managing a safe and inclusive space – and there’s also lots of links to websites for further investigation.

The DfE Reading Framework - how relevant is it to school librarians?

 

Last month the Department for Education (DfE) published a comprehensive 176-page document titled “The Reading Framework,” accompanied by the tagline: “guidance for primary and secondary schools to meet existing expectations for teaching reading”. I’m always interested in any official documentation that centres around reading – as a school librarian, it’s one of our core functions – so I worked my way through it. I then found myself immersed in the delightful chaos of having my three grandchildren for the week; the 6 and 3 year olds insist on at least three books at bedtime and I’m working my way through Harry Potter 2 with the 9 year old so, by the time I’m finished all these reading escapades, there’s scant time or energy left. But I’ve now gathered my thoughts.

One of my initial actions with such documents is to search for the words “librarian” and “school library” – not sure why as they are rarely mentioned. However, in this document, the term “library” features 25 times, mainly in reference to public or classroom libraries and “librarian” occurs only 6 times. This is mostly in a sentence linked with other adults such as “Library time for every class led by an appropriately trained adult. This may be the school librarian, form tutor or other adult with a particular interest in reading” (p103). I have to admit that I’ve seen the latter part of this sentence featured in way too many job descriptions for school librarians; a disconcerting reminder that those responsible for appointing individuals to this role often lack an understanding of the contributions school librarians actually make.

Nonetheless, I approached the document with my school librarian hat on, not to analyse the whole thing, but to identify potential areas where librarians could support staff in delivering these guidelines and also whether there was any evidence that supported libraries in schools. While most of the content is aimed at primary schools, the advice and suggestions are also apply to secondary schools. It’s worth noting that I found some of the guidance contradictory (for example, it talks about using anything that helps to establish the reading habit but also says that children should not take home books beyond their decoding capabilities) and information is repeated in different sections, making it feel a bit haphazard. It also, for some strange reason, refers to library lessons or library time as “book club time”.

The key objective of these guidelines is to “help schools meet the expectations set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework and the National Curriculum” thus the guidance encompasses primary years and key stage 3 with an audience of “primary and secondary schools in England, other key stage 3 educators, initial teacher training (ITT) partnerships, specialist provision and others” (p5). Its primary audience is not school librarians. However, while it's important to acknowledge that school librarians are not the primary figures responsible for formal reading instruction within a school, they do hold a significant role in the process

It is also crucial to recognise that many primary (and even secondary) schools do not have a librarian; if the document was aimed at school librarians it would be too easy for it to be dismissed with the comment that it’s not relevant because we don’t have that particular member of staff.

The introduction commences with the sentence “reading is fundamental to education” and I wish more senior management would take on this ethos to give support to school libraries who tend to be the main driver for cultivating a reading culture within schools. Section 1 looks at the advantages of reading, backed up by a wealth of quotable evidence and research. While most school librarians are already familiar with this, it could be useful to ensure your Headteacher and Senior Management Team (SMT) (at the very least) are aware of the latest studies as it’s unlikely that they keep up-to-date with school library research. It concludes with the statement: “All educators have a fundamental role in ensuring all pupils learn to read: this means teachers, support staff, senior leaders, Headteachers, local authorities, multi-academy trusts and initial teacher training partnerships” – something that might be worth pointing out as too often reading is seen as being the remit of the English department.

The subsequent sections delve into language comprehension and phonics teaching in Reception and KS1, along with the cultivation of reading fluency in KS2. If you are a primary school librarian a comprehensive grasp of phonics instruction is imperative; how reading is attained through language skills, decoding and comprehension. It’s equally crucial for secondary school librarians as you will have students who are still learning to read although it will be necessary to ascertain whether they need support with decoding or have issues with reading fluency as the strategies used will be different. This knowledge could be useful CPD or ask to be involved in any phonics training within the school.

Emphasising the need for students to read widely, both within school and in their own time, is underscored as is the significance recognising themselves within books and identifying with characters. The guidance also suggest that teachers should introduce students to a diverse range of cultures and perspectives and not just choose the books they loved as children, noting that “stories might be the only place where they meet people whose social and cultural backgrounds and values differ from their own (p90).” This is a positive comment given the recent issues with book banning in the USA but as Open University (OU) research highlighted, the lack of up-to-date book awareness amongst teachers often results in gaps in their knowledge and this is a further aspect where the school librarian can help. As the specialist “book people” within schools, it’s an inherent part of the job to keep up-to-date with new books being published, both by popular and debut authors; what books are being made into films or TV series (so will be popular); genres that are being asked for; what’s being talked about on BookTok, etc. Armed with our specialised knowledge and practical experience we are equipped to ensure classroom libraries and book corners remain current, maintain updated reading lists and furnish recommendations for teaching staff yet too often the invaluable role of the school librarian is overlooked when books are discussed.

Once students have learnt to read successfully then they need to develop reading fluency - reading is a skill and, as with all skills, it needs practice: “reading a lot is the principal way pupils develop as readers (p19)”. This section covers both KS2 and KS3 with the guidance acknowledging that reading aloud, both of stories and for information across the curriculum, increases students’ experiences of reading fluency which has a positive impact. Sadly, this doesn’t happen as often as it should at secondary level - can you help by providing fiction books linked to curriculum topics, engaging book starts, relevant articles, short stories? And do you read aloud to your students in library lessons? I used to read to my lower literacy students, often traditional stories and myths that they’d not had as part of their reading culture growing up. They would sit in silence, transfixed – and I noticed that older students working in the library would take off their headphones to listen too. You’re never too old for a story!

I have to admit, I did wonder if whoever wrote the section on choosing and organising books had ever visited a school library. In primary libraries, it’s customary for books to be categorised into levelled bands or colours but the guidance notes that a different approach is taken by public libraries and bookshops. It also contains the rather perplexing suggestion that students should only be exposed to books that they can decode. What happens with those children who haven’t learnt to read yet? I’ve spent many hours reading to my children (and now, my grandchildren) using books that exceed their reading capabilities. While they haven’t grasped every nuance or inference, they’ve enjoyed the experience and their questions demonstrate an understanding of the story plus they’ve been exposed to language they may not encounter in everyday conversations. I’m a firm advocate for Free Voluntary Reading and find it hard to classify “Biff, Chip and the Magic Key” as reading for pleasure.

I’m not going to dwell on the suggestions for organising book stock as I find them rather haphazard. Phrases like “very short, short and long page-turners” appear quite puzzling. I assume these labels refer to gripping stories although that term is subjective; what I find gripping isn’t necessarily the same as what would grip others. Moreover, the organization of libraries to facilitate easy access for the school community is inherent in the role of librarians. What is interesting in this section is the mention that core book lists should be regularly refreshed and not set in stone – another aspect where the librarian can offer assistance – and that “every book must be worth reading or help pupils to put in the reading miles. Books that are unlikely to achieve either of these aims should be discarded” (p93). A good argument for weeding and getting rid of books that haven’t been borrowed for years, although I know from experience that often the minute I remove a book from the shelves, someone inevitable asks for that title the following week!

Section 8 labelled “Developing a Reading for Pleasure Culture” is the one most likely to be of interest to school librarians and also the one most likely to frustrate as it expands on the role of teachers as influencers and being the best promoters of books. Within my social media bubble are some amazing reading teachers with fantastic book knowledge but sadly this is not always the norm. I’ve been into too many schools where teachers have been responsible for library purchases and filled the shelves with the same old tired authors and I’ve also worked with secondary subject teachers who have stated that reading is not within their remit. I even once had an English teacher who routinely recommended the same book to every single student.

This section presents compelling evidence supporting library lessons and activities. It states reading should be a priority in all schools, that a strategic approach is needed to develop a Reading for Pleasure (RfP) culture with time to read, role modelling, engaging in book discussion and the sharing of reading experiences rather than just a few sporadic book-related events scattered across the school year. The inclusion of storytime in KS2 and KS3 is NOT an indulgence but a beneficial practice as it improves reading fluency and wellbeing although sadly many schools discontinue this practice once students are decoding proficiently. It also mentions the benefits of adults reading aloud, encouraging public library use, and library lessons being part of the timetable (separate from the English curriculum). A couple of points resonated with me. I was pleased to encounter the statement “Teachers should also be wary of restricting pupils to reading books from within one coloured level or band or labelling pupils as being on a specific colour” (p100) – this directly addresses the tendency for some schools who run reading programmes to confine students to reading materials within their level which can diminish reading motivation. Moreover, “reading time should never be used as a sanction” (p102) establishes a foundation; if you have students sent to the library for reading during detention (yes, it happens) you can now cite the guidelines for a more constructive approach.  Reading across the curriculum is not forgotten as it supports knowledge and vocabulary and it’s suggested that talk and discussion should form part of every lesson.

Concerning the leadership and management of reading, the guidelines clearly attribute this responsibility to the Headteacher although they acknowledge that in a secondary school this aspect may be given to a member of the SLT. The guidelines also bring in the role of the literacy lead that manages and supports the teaching of reading in both primary and secondary schools. I think it’s important to distinguish between the pedagogical teaching of reading and its broader aspects, most of which aren’t really covered in any depth; reading for pleasure, reading for information (with the necessary digital and information skills required to access and analyse texts); the cultivation of advanced reading skills such as skimming and scanning; and in-depth sustained reading necessary for exam subjects. As I said in the first paragraph, the guidance is for the teaching of reading.

This is only a brief look at the document but hopefully I’ve touched upon some areas that may be useful to school librarians. My take from it is:

·         Keep your staff, especially your SMT, well-informed about relevant research on the advantages and benefits of school libraries and reading;

·         Explore opportunities for CPD related to phonics teaching and how you can support students requiring additional help, particularly at KS3;

·         Collaborate with your SMT and appropriate staff (such as the literacy lead/literacy coordinator) to develop school-wide reading initiatives;

·         Offer teachers suggestions for enriching their classroom libraries with a diverse range of books, provide reading recommendations and keep book lists up-to-date;

·         Provide suggestions for reading aloud including fiction relating to the curriculum, relevant articles, extracts and short stories.

These guidelines present numerous opportunities for school librarians to showcase their value and offer support. Yet, in order to effectively provide the dynamic and diverse reading material that engages students, caters for evolving classroom libraries and furnishes resources for teachers to utilise, a sufficient budget is imperative to purchase such material in the first place. When considering your next funding proposal, consider linking it to these guidelines.

Ofsted report: "Now the Whole School is Reading" - what does it tell us?

Last month (October 2022) Ofsted published a report titled “Now the whole school is reading”: supporting struggling readers in secondary school. I was immediately intrigued as to what their guidance suggested and it makes interesting reading as, for once, it mentions school librarians! Those who regularly read such reports will know that libraries rarely feature in them, even when the subject is relevant.

The findings are based on research visits to six secondary schools. The schools were selected as they had a higher-than-expected proportion of students who were poor readers get grade 4 or above in English GCSE. Evidence used included:

·         Research literature

·         Autumn term 2021 inspection data

·         Discussions with English specialist inspectors

·         Discussions with staff and students at the six schools

The executive summary states that the ability to read is “a fundamental life skill. It is essential to us all if we are to participate fully in society”. This should be obvious to anyone; without the ability to read, students are unable to succeed in exams and move into further education or training, and thus into employment. This has a lifelong impact. It also highlighted the fact that students who arrive in secondary school with poor reading skills are unlikely to catch up; only 10% of disadvantaged children who leave primary school reading below the expected level get passes in GCSE English and Maths.

The summary also makes a statement about those who are poor readers reading less. Reading is a skill and needs to be practiced but if you don’t like doing something and struggle at it, you tend not to choose to do it – I don’t like running so don’t choose to do it in my free time, even though the experts tell me it’s good for me, it fits into my schedule and is cheap! Studies show that reading increases vocabulary and general knowledge; clearly reading non-fiction will do this but it’s also amazing what you can learn from reading stories so students who are not reading won’t have those advantages and are likely to struggle with comprehension as they come across more advanced texts. This is why, as librarians, we try and get students to move out of their comfort zone and read a book that may be more challenging; reading the same story over and over again isn’t going to introduce new vocabulary, facts or ideas.

So what are the main findings of the report and how can we use these to provide a better service for our school communities?

·         Senior leaders prioritised reading.
This should come as no surprise; for most initiatives to be successful they need the support of the Senior Management Team (SMT aka SLT). In the schools visited, there were whole school reading strategies that were part of the curriculum and the SMT shared their commitment thus increasing the visibility of reading across the school. It is important that librarians are involved in this and have input into any reading policies and tactics – they are a natural fit. Are you part of the planning group for whole school reading? Are your SMT aware of your lessons and activities around improving students’ reading skills and the impact these have? Do you feedback any relevant information about students and reading to staff?

·         Schools accurately identified gaps in students’ reading knowledge and shared information about struggling readers with all staff.
There are various reasons why students may be poor readers. Diagnostic testing will ascertain whether this is due to fluency rates, word reading and accuracy, or phonic knowledge thus enabling bespoke interventions. Sharing this information enabled a consistent approach throughout all lessons – and this should extend to library lessons. We can’t provide consistency if we’re not given relevant information that enables us to  support individual students – remember, one size doesn’t fit all and the more we know about why students are struggling with reading, the more we can help them.

·         Staff who taught reading had the expertise they needed to teach weaker readers.
The featured schools trained staff who would be working with struggling readers so they had relevant expertise. These staff disseminated that training to others within the school. If your school is investing in such training then it’s essential that you, as the librarian, are involved as it’s likely you will be working with the weaker readers – it’s surprising how much teaching school librarians do, something that many people don’t realise.

·         Schools had clear procedures in place to monitor this teaching and its impact on struggling readers.
By regularly assessing the progress of students, the effectiveness of any strategies could be ascertained and adjustments/changes made. This is so important; there’s no point in carrying on with something if it’s not working and any library programmes need to be included in this assessment. Do you monitor the success of your library activities? Do you report back to SMT what’s successful and why? This can help them make informed choices regarding future strategies.

A few other things jumped out at me from this report.

The first was that schools tended to stop additional support with reading once students reached Year 9 or moved into KS4. None of the schools monitored progress beyond this. I know this is probably due to time, budgets and the introduction of the very full GCSE curriculum but it’s such a shame. It meant that the schools had no idea whether students still struggled with reading – though I guess ultimately their exam results may show this – or the long-term impact of previous interventions. As some students remarked that they “felt less enthusiastic and motivated to read for pleasure by the time they reached key stage 4” there is clearly a huge role for the school librarian here. However, the caveat is that students need time to access appropriate resources and the library needs to consider promotional material and activities aimed at this target group. I know from my involvement with the UK Pupil Library Assistant of the Year the impact the library can have on older students, not only with their continuing reading for pleasure but also by providing a space for their good mental health and wellbeing.

Secondly, the report recognised the importance of skilled librarians. Not simply staff running the library and keeping it tidy but professionals who were able to be part of the whole school reading initiatives and play an active role - three of the six schools had at least one professionally qualified librarian. CILIP, the library and information association, offers librarians the opportunity to obtain professional qualifications and has a special interest group for school librarians (SLG) with resources and support available for those that wish to explore this further.

Finally, whilst there is plenty of research into primary reading there is little undertaken with older students and most of that is outside the UK. This is an area that needs to be addressed given how a lack of reading skills can impede older students’ life choices.

  

 

How To Create A Book List

There’s been a lot of excitement on social media the past couple of weeks around the announcement by Marcus Rashford that he’s teamed up with Macmillan Children’s Books to not only write several books but also launch a children’s book club aimed at age 7+ with the remit that “books should have diverse characters … making sure people of all race, religion and gender are depicted correctly and representative of modern society.”

As a school librarian, I know the impact a popular young Black male footballer tweeting “Reading is cool. Books are cool.” will have – and it’s exactly what we need to help promote books and reading for pleasure. Can we have more role models like this please?

But, as is the norm whenever anything like this is announced, a plethora of suggested books appear – one of these was a list published in the TES of 10 books gathered by a teacher from suggestions on Twitter. Now, there’s nothing wrong with these books but they don’t exactly fit the intended remit. And I know if I was to create a library display around them very few would be borrowed. I might be able to entice some students to try a couple if I could deliver a talk promoting them but it would be more likely to be the avid readers picking them up, those who are already confident in trying something new or different knowing that if they didn’t like it they could put it down and move on to something else.

It’s actually quite difficult to put together a list that appeals to everyone, especially if the number of titles is restricted. The wider the age range the list is targeted at the more challenging it is especially if you have to consider emerging readers alongside confident readers – too many suggestions aimed at each group will put many off. I’ve had experience of doing this for book awards and school library packs, and it takes a lot longer and is harder than you’d think.

The books need to be diverse – with respect to characters as well as authors and illustrators. They need to be inclusive so that children can see themselves in the stories, physically and emotionally. However, it’s important to remember that they don’t always want to read something that mirrors their own lives; sometimes they want escapism.

The stories should be well researched – there really is no excuse for incorrect factual information – and well-written with characters and plots that engage and develop throughout the book. Fiction introduces children to new language, sentence structure, inference, etc. but books that are aimed too high and outside their level of understanding may well have the opposite effect and put them off reading. So a balance is needed with books at all levels encompassing both less-able and more-able readers. It is important to remember that a book that is read with a child, or as a class set text, can be at a totally different level from one a child reads by themselves; simply because words can be explained, concepts explored and any issues arising in the book discussed.

Then there are genres to consider. If you want the list to have a wide appeal it needs to include as many as possible; fortunately most books encompass several genres but this can still be a bit of a balancing act. And let’s not forget different types of books; poetry, graphic novels, verse novels, memoirs, non-fiction and so on …

Finally, one important thing to think about is the visual appeal of the whole list, especially if you are planning to create posters or displays using the books.  Covers are important.  Forget “don’t judge a book by its cover” because that’s what people do. They have nothing else to go on until they pick the book up and read the blurb so if the cover doesn’t appeal, they’ll leave the book sitting there. And children are no different ... if anything they can be more rigid in what they like and dislike.

So … I asked my librarian colleagues for suggestions, received rather a lot and have narrowed them down to the following 10. This is not a top ten list and if I was to create another one in a couple of months, it would likely be very different. I've not been able to include every type of book or every type of character.

And yes, I know it’s yet “another” list but I’m hoping this one might just be a bit more appealing and help some children engage with reading. As with all book lists my caveat is that the age recommendations are exactly that; they may appeal to younger or older children and books targeted at 7 – 11 years sometimes have content that may be unsuitable for the younger age range although often the age restriction is more to do with reading ability. If you’re not sure my advice is to read the book first - or ask a librarian.

So … what do you think?

 

1.      The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander and Kadir Nelson
Published by Andersen Press, 2020
Recommended 7 – 11 years (and older)

A stunningly illustrated poem that remembers both famous and often overlooked figures from Black history. This book can be read on several levels and is excellent for encouraging discussion and further exploration into the background of the people and events represented. It’s a book that, when on display, draws people to it.

 

2.      Super Side Kicks: No Adults Allowed by Gavin Aung Thun
Published by Puffin, 2020
Recommended 7 – 9 years

Junior Justice is fed up with the adult superheroes getting all the attention so he and his friends form their own team to save the world. A graphic novel series about superheroes and supervillains – always popular! Rather silly and entertaining.

 

3.      World Burn Down by Steve Cole and Oriol Vidal
Published by Barrington Stoke, 2020
Recommended 8 – 11 years

Carlos’s mother works for Brazil’s Environmental Authority protecting the Amazon from being destroyed. When he’s kidnapped, Carlos manages to escape but then finds himself trapped in the burning jungle. A gripping story with an environmental message. Particularly suited to struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers.

 

4.      Who Let The Gods Out? by Maz Evans
Published by Chicken House, 2017
Recommended 9 - 12 years

Things are not going well; Elliot is struggling at school, he is the main carer for his mother, and they’ve received a letter informing them the house is going to be repossessed. But when an immortal constellation crashes into the cow shed, he has a whole new set of problems to deal with. A laugh-out-loud and action-filled fantasy adventure with a nod to Greek mythology and a wonderful cast of characters. This is book 1 of 4 so opportunities to read more of the same.

 

5.      High Rise Mystery by Sharna Jackson
Published by Knights Of, 2019
Recommended 8 – 11 years

When Nik and Norva discover their community art teacher has been murdered on their tower block estate, the detective duo swing into action, collecting evidence and tracking down suspects. A fast-paced, urban-set whodunnit with a gripping plot and great cast of characters.

 

6.      The Strangeworlds Travel Agency by L D Lapinski
Published by Orion Children’s Books, 2020
Recommended 9 – 12 years

When Flick Hudson discovers the Strangeworlds Travel Agency, where she can be transported to hundreds of other worlds simply by stepping into the right suitcase, her adventures begin. However, Five Lights, the world at the centre of all this, is slowly disappearing and Flick has to race against time to save it. An imaginative fantasy that pulls the reader in and transports them to magical lands.

 

7.      Wild Lives: 50 Extraordinary Animals That Made History by Ben Lerwill and Sarah Walsh
Published by Nosy Crow, 2019
Recommended 7 – 11 years

The true tales of fifty animals from around the world and throughout history, featuring bravery, friendship, courage and inspiration. Lots of interesting details, a great way to learn about history and superbly illustrated with drawings and photos.

 

8.      Planet Omar: Incredible Rescue Mission by Zanib Mian and Nasaya Mafaridik
Published by Hodder, 2020
Recommended 7 – 9 years

Omar has a very active imagination and when he discovers his regular teacher has been replaced with a rather grumpy one after the school holidays, he’s convinced she’s been abducted. So he persuades his friends to undertake a rescue mission. Book three in a great series about the (mis)adventures of Omar and his friends. The illustrations as well as fun use of fonts and space make this book visually appealing and the characters are culturally diverse.

 

9.      The Big Book Of Football by Mundial and Damien Weighill
Published by Wide Eyed Editions, 2020
Recommended 7 – 11 years

There’s no denying the popularity of football books – my library shelves that contained them were always in a mess – but many are aimed at older readers. This is a perfect book for younger children covering the history of the game, popular players, famous stadiums and lots more. An essential guide to football with fun, colourful illustrations.

 

10.  Seven Ghosts by Chris Priestley
Published by Barrington Stoke, 2019
Recommended 8 – 11 years

Jake is a finalist in a writing competition and they have all been invited to a tour of a stately home haunted by seven ghosts. As each tale is told, the ghosts are stirred up and Jake begins to see things out of the corner of his eye. An atmospheric collection of connected short stories that are unsettling rather than frightening. Great for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers.