When chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the government would ensure every state primary school in England has its own library by 2029, there was confusion among some in the primary sector: didn’t most already have a library space of some kind?
The government said not, pointing out that some 1,700 primaries in England do not currently have libraries of their own.
It added that, across the UK, one in seven primaries doesn’t have a dedicated library space, rising to one in four in disadvantaged areas.
Is that data accurate, and is there some nuance being missed in the headline policy promise?
Where is the primary library data from?
This data comes from the National Literacy Trust, which has carried out extensive research on primary school library provision across the UK, and has worked since November 2021 to address this lack via its Libraries for Primaries campaign.
A estimated that, across the UK, 2,900 state primaries did not have libraries. But the campaign has already made an impact, working with 1,500 schools to provide library provision over the past four years. These schools have each received 500 free books, library furniture and staff training.
“Taking those schools into account and allowing for the fact that some schools will have closed their library spaces in the interim period, we estimate there are currently around 1,700 primary schools in England remaining without a library today,” a spokesperson says, corroborating the government’s figures to 91.
How accurate is the primary library data?
The original data was based on a survey of 3,752 primary schools across the UK and asked whether a school had a dedicated library space.
Scaling up that survey response is not an exact science, and several primary specialists told 91 the figure sounded “too high”.
Some also believe the question may have caused confusion between having books to loan and for pupils to read, and having something called a “library”.
Michael Tidd, headteacher of East Preston Junior School in West Sussex, says his school has an area within the IT suite that they call a “library”, but otherwise books are mostly stored in classrooms, which he thinks is much more practical.
“I’ve got 12 classes around the school, and they all do quiet reading after lunch. If you have hundreds of kids who need to go and change books all charging down to the library [at the same time], it would be chaos,” he explains.
So the government announcement, which does not define exactly what it means by “library”, “seems like the wrong focus entirely”, he adds.
James Bowen, assistant general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, agrees, saying that “it’s important to remember that there are different ways to give children access to books and reading materials”.
“Libraries can obviously be a fantastic resource for schools, but some schools may need different solutions, such as well-stocked book corners in classrooms,” he adds.
Why might schools not have a dedicated library space?
Aside from the preference reason above (ie, having a different way of loaning books), Bowen says the absence of a library “could well be linked to a lack of space or funding challenges, making it hard to staff and run a library”.
This certainly chimes with the experience of Cadbury Heath Primary School in Bristol, which is soon to benefit from the Libraries for Primaries scheme.
Until now, the school has “made the most of what we’ve got”, says headteacher Matthew Hillier-Brown, meaning “mini libraries” exist in both the key stage 1 and 2 areas. But there is no single dedicated area for reading.
Literacy is key to the school’s mission and is well promoted in lessons, he adds, “but if we haven’t got the wide-ranging books, the funding or the space, it only goes so far”.
One school that has already benefitted from Libraries for Primaries is Sandford Hill Primary in Stoke-on-Trent. Here, there was also an issue around space, says Year 3 teacher Vicky Gerrard.
“We had a library many years ago, and that became a hub for children who needed to access extra support for their social and emotional needs,” she says, explaining how, as schools have sought to provide interventions for pupils outside of classrooms, spaces have been repurposed.
There are bookcases in every classroom, but due to a lack of funding, the school couldn’t afford to “keep up with the new authors”, Gerrard adds.
Thanks to Libraries for Primaries, the school found a way to repurpose a different room and fill it with the 500 new books. Now, children have access to “some brilliant new authors that I doubt we would have been able to access, money-wise”, she says.
Is a dedicated library the right answer to help raise literacy?
Lucy Starbuck Braidley, head of school libraries at the National Literacy Trust, explains that during the Libraries for Primaries programme she has seen how vital access to a dedicated reading space is for children.
“It gives you a place to convene, to create social interactions around reading,” she says. “It gives you a place where there is a wide variety of titles, which means that children can make choices around what they’re reading - and we know that’s really important”.
Some heads agree and say the existence of a dedicated library sends a message about a school’s intention.
“Just the vision of a headteacher saying, ‘Look, I’m dedicating a whole space to reading because I care about it that much’ shows a real love of reading, and I think that goes a long way,” says Hillier-Brown.
Julie Slamaker, headteacher of West Meon Church of England Primary School in Hampshire, agrees. She is in the process of converting the former head’s office into a library space for the small school’s 50 pupils, made possible thanks to PTA fundraising and utilisation of existing school funds.
Currently, the school’s books are housed in the hall, which is also used for dining, assemblies and music lessons. “I think at the moment, where ours are, we walk by them without even noticing them there. But [developing] the dedicated space is about giving prominence to books.”
But Tidd says just having a room is not enough - the government would need to fund proper librarians, too. “Unless you’re going to have a librarian, it’s just a room of books,” he says, suggesting a more helpful initiative would be for the government to fund a librarian per school, as well as a minimum number of books per child.
Starbuck Braidley adds that research shows, alongside a library, other things are important in instilling enthusiasm in young readers, including “a really strong relationship with your teacher who’s recommending titles to you, and other reading role models in your life, such as parents, who are hugely influential on children’s reading habits”.
How will the government primary library pledge be funded?
The government has said that funding for this initiative will come from £132.5 million of , accessed via a scheme that redirects “money from long-unused accounts to important social causes”.
Further detail, released as part of the chancellor’s “Youth Guarantee”, clarifies that just a portion - over £10 million - of this £132.5 million has been committed to the school libraries scheme.
Shared between the stated number of schools, that is just under £6,000 each. Is that going to be enough money to convert or build new spaces for libraries? Will it pay for librarians? Will it cover the cost of books?
Is the money going to be given out on a needs basis so it can do each of those things if and where needed?
Unfortunately, we will have to wait to find out what the government has planned for selecting schools, putting plans in motion and getting libraries established.
The Department for Education, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Treasury declined to comment on further details about what schools should expect from the scheme.
“Government will set out further details of the scheme in due course,” .
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