School library provision surveyed

A new report into the provision of school libraries, and how they are used by schools, has revealed a worrying trend in budget cuts for primary and secondary library provision.

While no figures are currently available for how many schools have a library, the report, School Libraries: A literature review of current provision and evidence of impact, by the National Literacy Trust, does provide some indication and highlights the strain that school budget cuts are putting on libraries. According to data from 2016, some 67% (25,749 out of 38,347) pupils aged 8 to 16 in the UK said that they use the school library, with 64.1% of pupils using the school library at least once a week. While most primary schools are thought to have a school library, the definition of a library can range from shelves along the main corridor to a distinct, equipped room with a trained librarian. At secondary schools, library provision also varies widely. The report highlights the difficulties school libraries face at a time of tightening school budgets with evidence that the provision of school libraries is decreasing with cuts in the budget allocated to libraries. A survey by the SLA (School Library Association) in 2012 found that there were major variations in the budgets available to school libraries. Their results showed that 11% had a budget of up to 500 a year, while 17% had 1,000-3,000 and another 17% had 3,000-5,000 each year. The SLA also found that one third of schools (34%) had seen their library budgets go down year on year, while 48% had the same as the year before (which is, in effect, a small cut) and only 18% of schools saw any increase in their budget. There has also been a steep drop in the number of librarians working in English schools. According to the APPG for Libraries Report (2014), data from The Department for Education's School Workforce show that the number of school librarians feel by 280 within two years, while relatively few primary schools have a designated school librarian. Yet school libraries can have on pupils' general academic attainment, reading and writing skills, plus wider learning skills, as well as their scores in history, mathematics and science. They have also been found to have an impact on pupils' reading enjoyment, reading behaviour and attitudes towards reading. You can download the full report, School Libraries: A literature review of current provision and evidence of impact, by the National Literacy Trust, here: