CILIP, CILIP School Libraries Group (SLG), the Great School Libraries Campaign, the School Library Association (SLA), and the Association of Senior Children's and Education Librarians (ASCEL) have written a joint response to the Department for Education’s Curriculum & Assessment Review, highlighting the power and potential of school libraries and librarians.

The Government review was launched in September 2024 and aims to ensure that the national curriculum appropriately balances ambition, excellence, relevance, flexibility, and inclusivity for all children and young people.

School librarians have a crucial role to play in supporting children’s education in line with any curriculum, and the group’s response highlights their extensive benefits, including:

• School libraries and librarians are in a unique position to support the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity for all, by providing access to books and other resources, and equipping children with the skills they need – such as information and media literacy - for careers in the future economy.
• Few school library services are financially secure and sustainable in the long term, due to falling school and local authority funding. If they are lost it will be incredibly hard to replace them and their skilled staff.
• Library services support schools by lending curated collections of diverse and inclusive books, including in dual languages. They also offer personalised guidance on books that engage reluctant readers including those related to underrepresented groups, particularly linked to history topics.
• Properly resourced school libraries with trained librarians ensure there are a range of texts suitable for further study, as well as electronic services and databases that students will also use at college and university, preparing them for future study.

This response follows a joint letter sent in August, when CILIP and the same partners wrote to Catherine McKinnell MP the Schools Minister to highlight how school libraries are a critical enabler within the education system, providing schools with resources and expertise to raise reading standards and support the curriculum. We are still awaiting a response.

Recent research by the Great School Libraries Campaign painted a mixed picture of the state of school libraries, finding a reduction in school libraries at secondary schools, as well as regional and class divides in provision, while showing the continued value of school libraries to schools and to society.

Find out more about our advocacy

Invite your political representatives to visit your school library using the template letters in the CILIP Connect toolkit.