Supporting the Great School Libraries Campaign Because Reading for Pleasure is a Social Justice and Social Mobility Issue

The sooner we start thinking more seriously of reading for pleasure as a social justice and social mobility issue, the better. Poor literacy skills is estimated to cost the UK economy approximately £80 billion a year!

As that figure boggles your mind, consider that £24.8 billion is spent on welfare, unemployment and social programs with a further £55.2 billion lost through lower personal income, productivity or business earnings.

If you like me agreed with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development findings that reading enjoyment is more important for children's educational success than their family's socio-economic status, it will fill you with dread that since 2012, there has been a 30% decrease in the number of children who read regularly and own a book from low-income and disadvantaged homes. Yep, you guessed it, even where book ownership is not an issue, phones and digital devices are fast replacing reading in bedtime routines.

So, it beggars belief that:
🙆🏾‍♀️1 in 8 primary schools in England does not have a designated library space (according to a report by National Literacy Trust)
🙆🏾‍♀️Two-thirds of school libraries in Scotland have no library budget
🙆🏾‍♀️In Wales, a quarter of schools are without a school library
🙆🏾‍♀️Pupils in Northern Ireland are the least likely to have access to on-site provision
(The School Library Association (SLA) Great School Libraries report)

Last week I was at the House of Commons where I attended the launch of the latest #GreatSchoolLibraries report titled: Equal futures? An imbalance of opportunities. Kudos to Alison Tarrant and team for the incredible work and commitment to this necessary cause!

As one audience member observed, if you think of the uproar that would ensue if a school were to lose its science lab, you have to wonder why the same concern would not be put to the loss of a facility as crucial as a library.

Every child deserves access to a great school library and that's one which is suitably staffed and holds titles relevant to and representative of the diversity of today's world.

Help is needed to bring attention and action to this campaign. Whether you are a parent, educator, family member or none of the above, you were surely once a pupil.

There are a few quick things you can do to donate some clout to the campaign:

👉🏾Read the latest report, at https://lnkd.in/divn5qmr
👉🏾Download a letter to send to your local MP at https://lnkd.in/d24bSwSB
👉🏾Write to your local school highlighting the impact a school library can have, and ask about their provision
👉🏾See if your employer can support your local school library or the campaign
👉🏾Follow @greatSchLibs on Twitter
👉🏾Share YOUR stories of what school libraries mean to you, using #GreatSchoolLibraries on any social media
👉🏾If you work in a school library submit a case study for the campaign at https://lnkd.in/ePtYeRb8 and encourage others to get involved.