Recent months have seen a flurry of government attention on education, reading for pleasure and school libraries, from funding announcements to curriculum reviews. With so much happening at once, it can be hard to keep track of what matters for your school library and what tangible impact these announcements might have.
We’ve gathered everything you need to know about recent campaigns, policy changes and enquiries into one place and will continue to update this post with the latest developments as they arise. Add this page to your bookmarks to stay up to date and to find links to opportunities to have your say, get involved or read more deeply.
It’s an exciting time to be working in school libraries and together we can harness the attention being given to reading engagement to promote school libraries, share best practice, advocate for investment, and reach more children and young people.
• The Education White Paper - Every child achieving and thriving was released on 23rd February 2026. The report sets out the Government's ambition to ensure that every child, regardless of background or need, is supported to achieve and thrive.
On first reading, we are encouraged by the White Paper's explicit recognition that "a love of reading and the deep knowledge it unlocks will help children navigate an uncertain world". We welcome the acknowledgement that teaching children to decode is only the beginning of their reading journey and that cultivating a positive culture of reading, where children are excited by books, regularly read for fun, and have access to a wide and varied range of reading materials, is what broadens imaginations, fosters creativity and develops critical thinking.
We believe that school libraries sit at the heart of such strong reading cultures, and that the staff who work in them are perfectly placed to deliver on the government's commitment to enrichment as an entitlement for all. For so many children, the school library is the first place they discover a book that speaks to them, and a vibrant, well-stocked school library, with a knowledgeable librarian on hand, is where 'reading for pleasure' can become a reality for all children.
For these reasons, it is disappointing to find no mention of school librarians in the White Paper. Whilst we welcome the focus on training for teachers and literacy leads, we would like to see school librarians recognised and included alongside them; both when considering reading fluency and enjoyment, and other areas of skills development such as Media and Information Literacy.
We note the confirmation of a new statutory national assessment of reading fluency and comprehension in Year 8. We acknowledge the intention, however, we have significant reservations about the negative impact of a further formal assessment on young people's relationship with reading at such a critical age, when we know reading engagement drops significantly. Already frequently tested, an additional test around reading for children could further damage any sense of connecting reading with enjoyment. We are keen to understand how this assessment will be designed and implemented, and we would welcome the opportunity to engage with Government on ensuring it supports, rather than undermines, a positive reading culture in secondary schools.
There has been extensive coverage and conversation about the proposed SEND reforms within the White Paper. The SLA welcomes any investment in supporting all children to fulfil their potential in education. We would encourage the Government to ensure that provision is made for school libraries to include accessible resources, such as audio books, dyslexia-friendly texts and other adaptive formats, along with recognising the multifaceted role librarians play in supporting children with SEND, from providing a safe space to working alongside colleagues to support individual pupils.
We look forward to working in partnership with Government and colleagues across the sector to ensure that school libraries and school librarians, including thousands of SLA members, are recognised as a core part of the ambitious education reforms set out within the White Paper.
Read more: View the full White Paper
• The National Year of Reading Campaign, launched by the Department of Education with the National Literacy Trust began in January 2026. The campaign encourages people to #GoAllIn and use reading as a route to finding out more about the things they already love, and to go deeper into their existing passions.
Funded by the Department for Education, the National Year of Reading is being delivered by the National Literacy Trust in collaboration with core partners such as The Reading Agency, BookTrust, World Book Day, Bookmark and the Queen’s Reading Room. We are pleased that the School Library Association is an active partner of the National Year of Reading.
Read more: Take a look at the National Year of Reading Campaign website
Our National Year of Reading Toolkit has had over 3,000 downloads. Designed to help school librarians make the most of out of this campaign year, the toolkit offers practical ideas, inspiration and guidance for your school library. We have included a range of ideas to suit different budgets and levels of experience, from tried and tested approaches to things you may not have done before.
We hope this toolkit will provide encouragement to use the National Year of Reading campaign to shine a spotlight on your school library. You could also share it as a springboard for conversations about ring-fenced library time or investment in reading for pleasure with your colleagues, senior leadership team, or school governors.
Read more: Download your National Year of Reading Toolkit
• The long-awaited Curriculum and Assessment Review Report was released by the government in November 2025. The report makes recommendations for changes to eight individual subjects, as well as setting out broader system-wide policy changes. As a subject, English received extensive suggestions for reform, including improved coherence between primary and secondary phases, a new oracy framework to sit alongside existing reading and writing frameworks, and changes to grammar teaching that prioritise practical application over theory.
Following the release of the report, the government considered the recommendations made. In its public response, the Department for Education accepted almost all of the recommendations, with the main points of departure focusing on the timeline of the new curriculum roll out, suggested changes to KS2 assessment and Professor Francis’ recommendation to retain exams as the ‘principal form of assessment’ in the face of rising AI use in schools. The government will also implement ‘an improved version’ of Progress 8 and Attainment 8 assessment measures, against recommendations which urged them to be retained with no changes.
School Libraries were not mentioned within the Review, however strong emphasis was placed on the importance of Media and Information Literacy, including recommendations for MIL to be embedded within the English curriculum. We believe that school librarians are crucial in the delivery of media and information literacy education and that a properly staffed school library plays a key part in fostering these skills in children and young people.
The School Library Association contributed to a statement released by the Media and Information Literacy Alliance and co-signed by 30+ experts, warning that England's new media literacy curriculum requirements will not be delivered without dedicated training, resources and funding. The joint statement welcomes the inclusion of media literacy in the Review but stresses that this opportunity to properly embed the knowledge and skills to critically engage with media across the curriculum can only be seized with adequate resources for the staff expected to deliver it.
The Education White Paper released on 23rd February confirms that curriculum reforms will be implemented in three phases that overlap: aligning to best practice from academic year 2025/26, preparing for SEND and curriculum reforms from 2026/27, and full implementation from 2028/29.
Read more: Schools Week have comprehensive coverage of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, including a Q and A with Review chair, Becky Francis
Read more: View the Curriculum Review in full
Read more: Find an easily digestible summary of the government’s response in TES
Read more: Find the Media and Information Literacy Alliance response to the CAR here
• In the Chancellor’s Autumn budget, released on 26th November, Rachel Reeves announced £5 million for new books in secondary schools, meaning every secondary school in England will receive £1,400 to purchase library books. Details of how this money will be received has not yet been announced, though we do know that the funding is for the financial year 2026/27, so schools can expect to receive the money during the National Year of Reading 2026, but not before April.
We welcome investment in books for school libraries and the recognition this brings – those schools fortunate enough to have school librarians will be able to make the most of the opportunity, using their skills and knowledge in developing collections to ensure it is well spent.
Read more: View the Autumn budget and government summary
• Announced on 23rd November, the Education Committee launched a new enquiry to understand how engagement with reading can be re-invigorated following the decline in reading for pleasure. The cross-party committee will look at the reasons behind this decline and what can be done to nurture reading, including how different forms and modes of reading can be used to engage different groups of children.
The relationship between reading for pleasure and young people’s mental health will form a key part of the enquiry, as well as an exploration of how promoting reading could improve the attainment and development of disadvantaged children, and those with special educational needs and disabilities.
The SLA submitted to the call for evidence, which closed on 9 January 2026. The Committee has not yet published its findings but we will update this page when the report is released.
• In September 2025, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the government will deliver a library in every primary school in England by 2029. This initiative was announced as part of Labour’s plans to give all children the best start in life. Practically, this means that the government will provide furniture, books and training to the 1,700 primary schools who are currently without libraries, according to National Literacy Trust data. The libraries will be funded by approximately £10m of dormant assets. The exact timeline and process for selecting schools and establishing the libraries has not yet been announced.
Read more: TES Magazine published a well-balanced and thoroughly researched exploration into every aspect of the government pledge
Read more: Find the government announcement here