The School Library Association

20 June 2014 Niall McWilliams

The Most Important Room in the School and Social Justice

Library Design of the Year Award 2013

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

The Shawshank Redemption

The Hogwarts Library from every Harry Potter Movie

Star Wars Episode II: The Attack of the Clones

“The Beast’s Library” from Beauty and the Beast

The Carterton Story

Lots of NumbersWhat’s the significance of these numbers

I’m sure you know, but if not have a guess!

1. 47% of 83,000 (prisoners with no qualifications)

… what does that say about literacy levels?

2. 90% of 83,000 (prisoners have been excluded from school)

… what does that say about our schools, equal opportunities and social justice?

Lots of Numbers3. 80% of 83,000

(have been on benefits)

4. Highest 1% = Lowest 1% (Highest rates of deprivation in schools very often relate to the lowest rates of

academic achievement)White, low income families living in Britain have the lowest academic attainment in Europe.

Quote from Neil Gaiman“I was once in New York, and I listened to a talk about the building of private prisons – a huge growth industry in America. The prison industry need to plan its future growth – how many cells are they going to need? How many prisoners are there going to be, 15 years from now?

….. How did they work out the answer?

“very easily using a simple algorithm, based on asking what percentage of 10 and 11 year olds couldn’t read. And certainly couldn’t read for pleasure”.

Whole School Literacy

Whole School

Practice

Literacy Hubs

Literacy Interventions

Library

TutorTime

ClassroomPractice

Excellent Schools• Based on 5 years worth of evidence

in relation to visiting schools across the country• Excellent school defined as one that

has achieved sustainable success ie over 75% + 5A*-C with English and Maths, expected levels of progress for English and Maths over 80% for at least 3 years

Main Findings• Excellent schools invested very heavily in

professional learning. They encouraged staff to take risks and be reflective

• Excellent schools interested in training for mentors and coaches across their schools

• Teachers/staff planning together and talking about teaching was a main focus in excellent schools

• Performance Management/Appraisal was used to ensure staff could rigorously reflect on their work

Main Findings /continued• Leaders were more aware of the

importance of modelling learning in excellent schools• Excellent schools were more likely to

work extremely hard at including parents• Excellent schools valued the work of the

Librarians and saw them as key staff in relation to raising standards

What’s the solution …… get the children reading for pleasure !!

• Part of the solution has to be making sure that the Library is the most important room in the school and that Librarians are high profile and not just confined to the Library

What’s the solution / continued

• Pupil Premium money needs to go to early years education with the significant proportion of this funding used to support reading• Literary fairs and Book fairs need to

be seen in areas of deprivation not just areas of affluence.

Thank you