CILIP CEO, Nick Poole joined leading writer, poet, former Childrens Laureate, broadcaster and columnist Michael Rosen and Margaret Greenwood MP (Wirral West, LAB) in the first of a series of events to engage MPs and make sure every child has access to a great school library.

The activities began with a Parliamentary drop-in session in Westminster on Wednesday 5 July, where MPs met with Michael and showed their support for the #GreatSchoolLibraries campaign.

Nick Poole, CILIP CEO said:

"We want to ensure that schools have adequate funding to maintain library provision, particularly in the State sector, as it is one of the most effective interventions our politicians can make to improve every child's life chances.

"We are delighted to be working with Margaret Greenwood MP and Michael Rosen to bring the #GreatSchoolLibraries campaign to Westminster."

CILIP's School Libraries Group, which supported the release of the Great School Libraries Phase 2 report that showed deep inequalities in library provision in England and the devolved nations, also attended the event.

Speaking about the event, Michael Rosen commented:

"Every child deserves a great school library with access to quality books, digital resources and the expert support of a dedicated librarian or library staff. Sadly, our research shows that children in independent fee-paying schools are still much more likely to have access to a quality library than those in the state sector.

"Through the #GreatSchoolLibraries campaign, Margaret Greenwood MP and I are calling on Ministers to make provision for every school to have a quality library. Together, we can transform literacy, learning and life-chances for children across the UK."

Margaret Greenwood, Member of Parliament for Wirral West, commented:

"I am delighted to lead this call to my fellow parliamentarians to show their support for the #GreatSchoolLibraries campaign.

"Encouraging children to enjoy books from an early age and developing a culture of reading for pleasure in schools is extremely important.

"We need to work together across parties to make sure that every child across the UK has access to a good quality school library, supported by a dedicated librarian or library staff."

Alison Tarrant, Chief Executive Officer of the School Library Association (SLA) commented:

"The presence of a well-stocked, appropriately staffed school library has a tremendous impact, not just on the learning of every child, but on whole school culture, academic attainment and children's wellbeing.

"We are calling on Ministers and MPs to show their support and to help ensure that we secure the transformative support of great school libraries for every child."

#GreatSchoolLibraries is a joint initiative of the School Library Association, CILIP and the CILIP School Libraries Group. The campaign, which is supported by school librarians, head teachers and teaching staff across the UK, is calling on Governments to ensure that schools have access to adequate funding to maintain school library provision.