A library in every primary: what £10m means | Series 1, Episode 35

Episode 35 transcript

A library in every primary: what £10m means, what schools need, and how to make it work

The government’s £10 million pledge for a library in every English primary is welcome, but it won’t stretch far. Around 1,700 schools lack a space, and an even split gives each about £5,900 – enough for shelves, a starter book stock, a simple management system, and a bit of outside librarian time. What it won’t buy is ongoing staff. Without that, school libraries risk becoming wasted or hijacked spaces. And yes, Westminster still spends more on biscuits than it does on each library-less state primary school.

The government has confirmed £10 million to guarantee a library in every state primary in England by the end of this parliament. One in seven UK primaries does not have a library space. Need is higher in disadvantaged areas, and many schools without a space are in the North of England. The headline pot is £10 million. Sector reports point to about 1,700 primaries without a library. If that group alone is eligible, an even split implies about £5,900 per school. The exact allocation will differ, yet the rough scale is clear. If eligibility is wider, the per school figure drops markedly.

It helps to set expected costs. A functional primary library needs four things: a defined space, book stock, a basic library management system, and time from trained staff.

Space and fittings matter. Schools with a spare room or a defined corner need shelving, low units, and seating. UK suppliers list primary bookcases from about £120 per unit, rising to £300 to £600 for stronger or display units, and above £900 for premium single bays. A small room needs multiple bays and some face out display. A corridor needs mobile or double sided units. Even a minimal layout can reach four figures before any books are considered.

Book stock has a price. Trade sources show the average selling price in children’s books at about £6.45 in late 2024, with mean paperback RRPs near £8.22. A £5,900 grant spent only on books would add under 1,000 paperbacks at current average selling prices, and fewer if schools buy new hardbacks or reference. That sounds appealing, but most schools will divide the grant across furniture, stock, and systems, so the first purchase will be smaller.

Systems are essential. A cloud library management system keeps records, barcodes, borrowing, and reports. Entry offers used by small libraries advertise annual hosting and support around £199. Schools’ Library Service partnerships also quote packages that include set up within a few hundred pounds. Well known platforms provide full features but publish price on request or via resellers, and review sites show prices vary. A prudent plan sets aside at least a few hundred pounds in year one.

Staffing is the key. Evidence links staffed libraries with higher attainment and use. The School Library Association’s response to the pledge states that a dedicated member of staff is essential for a sustainable service. UK job data places school librarian roles in the low to mid £20,000s pro rata outside London, and higher in some areas and scales. A one off grant does not meet this running cost. Sharing a librarian across a cluster or buying into a Schools Library Service is a practical route.

Schools should be realistic about impact. UK and international reviews report consistent associations between school library access and better reading outcomes. Effects are stronger where a trained librarian runs the service and where collections match pupil needs. A 2019 review for the National Literacy Trust and partners summarises this picture. Peer reviewed work shows higher scores for pupils in schools with full time certified librarians, though studies vary by context and methods. The weight of the research is correlational, so implementation quality matters.

The reading context brings both urgency and risk. Reading for pleasure is at a low point according to UK survey data. In 2024 only about one in three children and young people said they enjoy reading in free time. Daily reading is lower. These figures show a need for access and for programmes that drive use. A room with books helps only if pupils visit and borrow, staff run sessions, and stock stays current.

Here are some clear ideas to turn £10 million into a service in schools that lack one now. The steps are simple, measurable, and stay within the budget pot.

1. Publish the allocation method. State the eligible schools and the per school cap. Confirm what the money can buy. The announcement says further detail will follow. Schools need clarity on whether allocations fund capital only or also cover set up, training, and a short period of staffing time. A fixed template lowers administration and speeds delivery.
2. Use a standard basket of items per school. Provide six to ten bays of shelving or mobile units matched to the space plan, basic seating, signage and labelling, and an initial stock target by pupil number. Build a light kit list for small spaces and a larger list for full rooms. Unit prices from UK frameworks and suppliers show that a basic package fits inside four figures for fittings and signage, leaving a book and systems budget.
3. Fund a library management system for at least one year. Include a barcode scanner. Entry hosting and support offers set a benchmark below £250 per year, while other platforms price by quote. Ringfence a minimum per school so no site opens its doors without a system. A system also supports stock audits and impact reporting.
4. Buy time. Create a small budget line per school to purchase a set number of visits from a Schools Library Service or a peripatetic librarian across a cluster. Local examples publish subscription costs per school and per pupil. This gives set up help, stock advice, processing, and initial staff training. If the central grant cannot fund staffing, DfE can still name this as the preferred route and invite trusts and local authorities to co fund.
5. Link the library set up to reading for pleasure programmes. Proven low unit cost schemes exist at scale. BookTrust’s Bookbuzz provides a book for each participating Year 7 or Year 8 student at £3.55 per pupil, with resources to support choice and book talk. A primary can run an age appropriate approach to choice and book ownership through local schemes or via Schools Library Service projects. The key is timetabled selection and book chat in the library space.
6. Target where gaps are widest. The announcement cites higher need in the North and a one in seven figure overall. Parliament’s research brief reports 14 percent of primaries without a dedicated library area across the UK, with regional differences. Publishing an eligibility list with criteria ensures that sites without a space move first. It also lets PTAs and trusts match funds.
7. Plan for falling rolls. DfE projections show a decline in nursery and primary numbers through the decade. Design modular spaces and mobile units that can move if forms combine or schools merge. A flexible layout protects value and keeps the service running when admissions change.
8. Measure provision and use. Add a simple field to the school census or a light touch termly return that records the presence of a dedicated library space, librarian hours or service bought in, the number of new titles added, active loans per pupil, and the LMS in use. This avoids a heavy burden and creates a baseline for evaluation against reading outcomes. Reports and reviews call out gaps in current data.

What does the £10 million buy in practice for a school with no library today?

• A minimal fit out can provide four to eight bays of shelving with some face out units.
• An initial purchase can add a few hundred books chosen to match the roll and the curriculum.
• A one year subscription can cover a basic cloud LMS with barcode labels and a scanner.
• A limited number of visits or days can come from a Schools Library Service or a cluster librarian for set up, training, and a start of year and mid year stock refresh.

What the £10 million does not cover on its own is ongoing staffing in every school. Salary data shows that even part time librarian hours add up to five figures per year in many areas. This is the pressure point. The SLA calls for a dedicated member of staff. The evidence base supports paid librarian time as a driver of use and attainment. The delivery plan should therefore include a parallel route that provides a cluster service with clear time in each school every week or fortnight, recorded on the timetable.

• For teachers and heads planning next term, the checklist is short.
• You should confirm whether your school is on the eligibility list once it is published.
• You should map a space and select units that fit.
• You should agree a stock profile by year group and subject.
• You should pick a library management system and set up a basic catalogue.
• You should schedule weekly library time by class.
• You should secure support from a Schools’ Library Service or a cluster librarian for induction, processing, displays, and training.
• You should tie the space to a reading for pleasure programme so every pupil chooses and takes a book home during term one.

For parents, the test is simple. Can your child borrow a book from school each week? Can they find books they want to read? Is a member of staff available in the library at fixed times? Is there a record of what they borrow? These are the signs that the space is in use.

For policymakers, three smart moves would lift the plan. First, publish the allocation and rules in one place with dates. Second, pair the capital spend with a modest annual revenue stream for at least two years for systems, processing, and service time. Third, publish simple metrics so schools and families can see progress.

The reading gap remains. Survey data shows low enjoyment and low daily reading rates. The PISA cycle also reports falls in reading performance across many countries since 2018. A school library alone does not solve this, but it is a concrete input under school control. A staffed, stocked, scheduled library supports choice, talk, and practice. Those are the habits that underpin progress in class and at home.

If that is not enough to give pause, positive perception is also key. And this is where the government might have to work harder. Here is some context for the figures that keep being quoted. For every £1 set aside for primary school libraries, roads get about £160 for potholes in 2025. In the last year alone, regional water companies faced £155.6 million in enforcement fines. Is sewage worth 10 times more than children’s reading? Consider this as well. House of Commons catering bought £24,629 of biscuits across 2022 to 2024 before VAT.

Set the totals side by side over similar time periods. The figures are £10 million for all primary school libraries, £1.6 billion for potholes, £155.6 million in sewage enforcement, £5,900 for each school without a library, and £24,629 on biscuits in the House of Commons.

The announcement is a positive move. But policymakers need to be transparent and state what they want to achieve, and they should clarify exactly how each school will benefit. Otherwise, the government risks appearing to have taken the biscuit and already eaten it.

Further reading

• Government announcement and funding figure. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-youth-guarantee-for-eligible-young-people-and-funding-for-libraries-in-all-primary-schools
• Scale of the gap in provision. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2023-0118/
• Children’s reading enjoyment levels. https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/children-and-young-peoples-reading-in-2024/
• Evidence on libraries and attainment, including staffing effects. https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/understanding-impact-and-characteristics-school-libraries-and-reading-spaces/
• Library system and service costs and examples. https://schoollibrary.co.uk/
• Shelving price points. https://www.ukeducationalfurniture.co.uk/shop/school-storage/bookcases-open-storage/
• Average book prices/ https://www.thebookseller.com/spotlight/childrens-titles-for-2024–making-sure-the-kids-are-all-right
• SLA position on staffing. https://www.sla.org.uk/Public/News/Articles/2025/SLA-Response-Government-School-Library-Pledge.aspx
• Pupil number projections/ https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/national-pupil-projections/2025
• Bookbuzz programme cost/ https://files.booktrust.org.uk/docs/documents/Bookbuzz-2025-A-Practioners-Guide.pdf
• Schools Library Service example. https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/libraries-1/schools-library-service/2
• Reading for Pleasure overview. https://literacytrust.org.uk/reading-for-pleasure/
• Government youth guarantee announcement confirming £10m for primary school libraries. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-youth-guarantee-for-eligible-young-people-and-funding-for-libraries-in-all-primary-schools
• Commons Library briefing on pothole and highways maintenance funding (2025/26 context). https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9975/CBP-9975.pdf
• Department for Transport news release on £1.6bn for potholes (20 Dec 2024) https://www.gov.uk/government/news/seven-million-more-potholes-to-be-filled-next-year-as-public-urged-to-report-roads-in-need-of-repair
• Ofwat enforcement packages announced in 2025 (Anglian Water £62.8m; South West Water £24m) https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/enforcement-package-9-september/
• House of Commons FOI page: spend on biscuits (with 2022 to 2024 data) https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/freedom-of-information/information-we-already-publish/house-of-commons-publication-scheme/catering-services/spend-on-biscuits-2024/