- 28/11/2024
- Posted by: Valerie Vaz MP
- Category: News
It was great to drop into the Libraries for Primaries Event held by the Libraries Literacy Trust on the Thursday 28 November 2024. Moreland Primary School pupils were present to speak about how they have benefited from Libraries for Primaries and what the new library means to them. Chief Executive CBE Jonathan Douglas spoke “About the link between Poverty and Literacy in School and said it was strong and inter-generational but something could be done, it was not inevitable. He said investments in school primaries is an opportunity for the government to level the playing field and raise school standards”.
They have a multiple partner approach and have transformed 1,000 school libraries and suggested that all MPs should support Libraries for Primaries.
I spoke and mentioned that the libraries in my constituency for example Moorcroft Wood, when I was MP for Walsall South. There was a beautiful tree in the middle of the library and I mentioned the visit to the library at Hillary Primary School. I undertook to write to all the primary schools in Walsall & Bloxwich to find out if they had their own library. I met a number of authors Michael Rosen (Rosen’s Almanac), Adam Kay (Dexter Protector: The 10 Year Old Doctor), (above) Cressida Cowell (How to Train your Dragon)(above) and Rob Biddulph (Blown Away).(left) The National Literacy Trust is in partnership with Penguin Random House UK, also present was Axel Scheffler (The Gruffalo) (below) who brought along his latest book The Jeweller’s Apprentice.
We all discussed the report ( below right) and here is a brief summary of its findings:
Summary:
1 in 7 state primary schools in UK do not have a library.
1 in 5 parents are now buying fewer books for their children.
1 in 10 children from a disadvantaged background do not have a single book of their own at home.
This rises to 1 in 4 schools in the most disadvantage communities who don’t have a library.
86% of the parents said they would support making it a legal requirement for every primary school in the country to have a designated library on site.
71% parents think that access to a primary school library is more important than access to a computer suite 66% or to a gymnasium 64%
85% of parents said that its important that their child reads for pleasure.
