Yesterday BookTrust and Children’s Laureate and SLA Patron, Frank Cottrell-Boyce launched Reading Rights: Books Build a Brighter Future. The report calls on national and local leaders in early years, health, education and culture to come together to make reading a part of daily life for every child in their first seven years.
As the report was launched, we were facilitating a webinar for SLA members, teachers, librarians and educators focused on supporting primary school libraries.
The online session provided inspiration and practical advice for developing a primary school library, whether transforming under-used libraries into thriving, community-oriented spaces, or galvanizing SLT, colleagues, school parents and the wider community into believing in, investing in, and committing to establishing a primary library.
SLA member and primary school Librarian, Leia Sands shared her Enterprise Award-winning library refurbishment project, which involved the whole school community, as well as local residents and businesses. Teachers, parents and pupils were involved in the library renovation, including stock decisions, and the finished library is a space that is open not only to pupils, but also to their families.
In the first year after refurbishment, the library hosted over 60 families at after-school pop-up events, including family book sharing sessions. During these sessions, families have the chance to read together, borrow books and take part in book talk and related quizzes and craft activities.
More than 50 children from four local pre-schools also attended story sessions, to aid in transition to school, and a weekly Year 1 book club was developed to support vulnerable children and their families.
The insights shared in this webinar highlighted the vital role that primary school libraries can play in developing positive attitudes to reading for our youngest children and their parents.
Reading the Reading Rights report with this fresh in mind, emphasised how the primary school library should be the natural continuation of early years provision that organisations like Booktrust work tirelessly to provide for children at the beginning of their lives.
The library is the place in school where shared reading and reading for enjoyment can be most effectively embedded, and it is also a space in which community bonds can be built - where families can come to understand the importance and pleasure of reading together, guided by a knowledgeable and empathetic librarian.
The Reading Rights report acknowledges the role that teachers play in “developing positive attitudes to reading by prioritising and making time for reading purely for enjoyment throughout the day, by signposting children to a wide range of books, and by setting family expectations about the importance of continuing shared reading for enjoyment at home.”.
SLA CEO Victoria Dilly said: “The School Library Association continues to advocate for the vital role that school libraries and librarians play in this development of reading for enjoyment and would like to see school libraries included as a core part of the national provision called for in the report.”
Children who are welcomed into education by a vibrant, inviting and well-stocked library, staffed by an informed and supportive librarian, are more likely to develop reading habits that positively benefit their health, wellbeing, happiness and academic success.
We look forward to seeing the undoubted positive impact of this report and to exploring ways that we can work together with its authors to help bring the transformational benefits of reading to every child.
If you are interested in learning more about developing your primary library provision, you can join our second webinar on this topic on Tuesday 24th June. We’ll be discussing how the library makes a difference in the school community, alongside what you can do to support teaching and learning through the school library.
In the meantime, here’s a snippet of Leia Sands sharing the ways she communicated the vision for her primary library and captured the enthusiasm of the whole school:
To access the full webinar recording and attend the second session for free, find out about joining the SLA today.