Blog

21|02|20

CE Blog 2020 2: Could every day be World Book Day? Building positivity

27|01|20

CEO 2020 1: The power of reading

Reading is a powerful thing – many of us know this, and yet it can be something that we take for granted. The power of reading, to illustrate, move, change a thought process or perspective. The wonder of building a unique connection between two brains and leaving an imprint..

24|01|20

Varied Voices 2020 2: Being a Storyteller

Rashmi Sirdeshpande talk about her writing process for the Varied Voices blog.

15|01|20

Discussion and Development 2020 1: Read for Empathy

02|01|20

Varied Voices 2020 1: Nizrana Farook - What does a jambu taste like?

17|12|19

Development and Discussion 2019 11: Precision engineering the role of school library staff - Using Inquiry to engage teachers across the curriculum

11|12|19

CE Blog 2019 11: Highlights from 2019

Alison reflects on 2019; sharing the many highlights from a busy year in the SLA office

02|12|19

Books for Christmas

This annual blog has become something of a tradition; our Book Reviews Editor highlights the lovely new Christmas themed books currently available for seasonal storytelling or gifting! Happy Christmas and Happy Reading from your Book Reviews Editor!

29|11|19

Development and Discussion 2019 10: School Libraries Share

27|11|19

Varied Voices: 3 - Sufiya Ahmed

The story behind how Under the Great Plum Tree came to be.

11|11|19

CEO Blog 2019 10: Scottish Takeover: Vibrant Libraries, Thriving Schools

It's a CEO takeover! Pamela Tulloch, Chief Executive Officer of the Scottish Library and Information Council talks about her work on behalf of Scottish school libraries

07|11|19

UK Parliament Week – School Libraries and Democracy; more than meets the eye

A special blog for UK Parliament Week

26|10|19

Varied Voices 2: Savita Kalhan

21|10|19

Development and Discussion 2019 9: Why comics?

Dawn Finch guides us through the world of comics.

15|10|19

CE Blog 2019 9: Thoughts on Libraries Week and beyond...

25|09|19

Varied Voices: Chitra Soundar

I am pleased to introduce our new blog series to add to the CE and Development and Discussion blogs - Varied Voices. Varied Voices was Chitra's idea, and we got into a discussion about the importance of diverse authors talking about their books, rather than just their diversity.

18|09|19

Development and Discussion 2019 9: The power of poetry

It's commonly recognised that breadth of reading diet is important for both reading skills and reading enjoyment, and poetry is an important part of this breadth. Poetry can provide a starting point for less confident readers, or for those more interested in music than reading...

16|08|19

CE Blog 2019_9 : Storm on the horizon?

School finances have been hit multiple times with a pensions increase, an unfunded pay rise for teachers and increased uncertainty as a new Education Secretary joins the cabinet. These are all going to lead to changes and increased insecurity all round – and when added to a certa

08|07|19

CE Blog 2019_7 : Highlights Of Building Identities

This month I take a look back at some of the highlights from the SLA/YLG Weekend Course. It was only a few weeks ago, but lots has been happening

06|06|19

CE Blog 2019_6:Pride And Prejudice In 2019...?

CE Blog 2019_ 6: Pride and prejudice in 2019…? It is a truth universally acknowledged that a school must be in want of a school librarian… or so we would wish! And that is the case in many schools that I talk to and visit, and it is heartening to hear. There’s also many, many st

03|05|19

CE Blog 2019_5: Working Towards Something Better

It’s May and CE Blog number five already – where is this year going?!

03|04|19

CE Blog 2019_2: Why school libs are important, and what the SLA's plans are

School libraries are vital in schools because they hold the key to literacy for many children, and the key to information literacy for many more!

21|03|19

Development and Discussion 2019 5: Child Poverty in Schools

This month's Discussion and Development Blog is written by Sophie Howes from Child Poverty Action Group and it looks at the struggles that children in poverty face, and how we can help. Tackling Child Poverty in Schools: a role for school librarians? Sophie Howes, Child Poverty Action Group Child poverty in the UK Child poverty in the UK is rising.

20|02|19

Development and Discussion 2019 4: News in Schools

News in Schools: Context and Impact On Monday January 28th, Plymouth City Council debated the prospect of martial law being imposed on the streets of Plymouth and the rest of the UK, in the advent of a 'no-deal' Brexit.

05|02|19

Development and Discussion 2019 3: Empathy and reading

Empathy is a crucial skill for young people to develop. Without it, they will struggle to form the relationships they need in order to thrive. With it, they will go on to be great citizens, co-workers, parents. But the rising generation is growing up in a society with a huge empathy deficit, marked by an increasingly divisive public discourse and the highest levels of hate crimes since records began.

21|01|19

Development and Discussion 2019 2: Cognitive Science

We're doing a blog a week in January, and this week's is all about cognitive science - it focuses on revision and learning, and as well as the implications for delivery of information literacy, there may also be implications for reading for pleasure and word acquisition. The Most Important Thing For Teacher To Know: Cognitive Load Theory Cognitive Load Theory is said to be

14|01|19

Development and Discussion 2019 1: The Trouble with School Libraries

To celebrate the new year this month there will be a Discussion and Development post every Monday. These are posts that deliver an element of CPD and that promote discussion.

07|01|19

CE Blog 2019_1: New Year, new opportunities

This new year I’m looking forward to what ahead of us – last year was an exciting year on many fronts, and I’m keen to keep that momentum going. My message for the year is going to be along the same lines – encouraging participation and involvement, and my aim is the same – to reduce the gap between school libraries and ‘education’. Each time I go to an ‘education’ event school libraries are not represented, and rarely in school libraries events is the rest of education represented. We need to close this gap – to show how school libraries contribute to education, and to be seen as part of the solution to educational issues.

13|12|18

Development and Discussion 2018 6: Why do children need great school libraries?

In this Development and Discussion blog the National Literacy Trust’s Head of Research Christina Clark explains how the charity’s latest research demonstrates the value of school libraries on children’s lives.Download the blog post for the full story.

07|12|18

CE Blog 7: Education, Equity and Equal chances?

There have been a number of events I have attended recently where the idea of equity within education has come up.

22|11|18

Development and Discussion 2018 5: Challenging More Able Readers

In this blog post, education consultant and NACE associate Judith Mason shares five effective strategies based on her experience of working with schools in this field.

13|11|18

CE Blog 6: Information Book Award

I have stretched this month out a bit as I wanted to blog specifically about the SLA Information Book Award. It is an award which really speaks to the reading for pleasure and independent learning that goes on within school libraries.

15|10|18

Development and Discussion 2018 4: Evaluating e-resources

We've had a few enquiries about how you can evaluate the e-resources you subscribe to, so this month's Discussion and Development blog is from Polly at JCS. Evaluating subscription e-resources: top tips for librarians from JCS At JCS we believe that evaluating e-resources properly is just as important as making decisions about which books to buy.

11|10|18

CE Blog 5: Libraries Week

The latest blog from Chief Executive, Alison Tarrant - what she's been up to and latest developments for the SLA.

28|09|18

Development and Discussion 2018 3: How well do you know your teachers as readers?

How well do you know your teachers as readers? Teresa Cremin writes the third Discussion and Development Blog for the SLA. The Open University While policymakers are guided by PISA and PIRLS data, librarians recognise that these large scale international surveys frame reading more as a measurable result than a lived experience and a social as well as a solitary process. Librarians and teachers understand that motivation and engagement matter.

31|08|18

No new resources for Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland school libraries are under the remit of the Education Authority; school library resource funding has effectively ceased due to the absence of the decision-making assembly at Stormont. This means 18 months without any new resources bought for those pupils; 18 months with reduced or no professional development for the staff, 18 months in which staff are being forced to run a substandard school library service.

13|08|18

CE Blog 2: Membership Survey

This post is going to focus on the recent membership survey we conducted. It opened in April, and we were pleased to have nearly 760 responses. This blog will be some of the highlights, and hopefully give you some insight into the things we are working on. 97% of respondents would recommend the SLA.

20|07|18

Development and Discussion 2018 1: Reading for Pleasure

This is the first of the Development and Discussion posts, that will come at monthly intervals in between the Chief Executive's blog. Written by external people to the SLA the idea of these blogs is to provide something for SLA members that will enable them to think about things, develop their practice or consider different issues that impact the environment they work in.

09|07|18

CE Blog 1: The Future of the SLA

Based on Alison's talk at the Weekend Course - this looks at the current and future work of the SLA, and how everyone needs to contribute.

28|11|16

£50k energy makeover for schools up for grabs

British Gas with National Schools Partnership have launched Generation Green: Smarter Power - a new, innovative and free teacher's resource and competition to help pupils aged 7-11 learn how new technology can help save energy. Competition prizes include a £50,000 school energy makeover and a trip to the Science Museum! With Smarter Power pupils go on an energy saving adventure with Wilbur the penguin exploring fossil fuels, renewable energy and the importance of saving energy, and discover how smart meters - an exciting technology being installed in British homes by 2020 - can help families become more energy efficient.