Congratulations again to the school librarians celebrated at the School Library Association’s 2024 Awards.

At a ceremony this month, school librarian Heather Grainger saw off a competitive shortlist to be named the Secondary School Librarian of the Year. Steyning C of E won the inaugural The Peter Usborne Primary School Library of the Year, while Swiss Gardens won the Enterprise of the Year Award.

Award-winning author Robin Stevens presented the awards with all winners receiving a wide selection of books and book tokens.

The judges praised Swiss Gardens for its ‘impressive’ and ‘really important’ work to replace and extend their existing library, which was formerly outdated and largely unused. Reaching out for support in the school community and beyond, Swiss Gardens teamed up with their Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and engaged a small army of helpers to help bring the library to life, including parents and members of the local community with interior design and carpentry skills, grandparents who refurbished shelves and put up displays, and the local bookshop, which organised a ‘Pay it Forward’ campaign to collect donations from locals. Subsequent outreach has included after-school family book-sharing events, book-themed quizzes, craft activities, weekly story sessions to engage with the local preschool and pop-up events targeted at Pupil Premium families in the area.

Over the past five years, borrowing at Steyning’s school library has increased by 600% thanks to a concentrated drive to turn reluctant reader

Steyning Primary

into joyful ones. SLA judges complimented the school’s ‘organic, evolving’ approach to integrating the library in the curriculum and assemblies, its outside reading shed for use at breaktimes, the enriching atmosphere created around literacy, and the service’s meaningful inclusion of pupil voices, not least through its confident set of Year 6 librarians. Important work to engage disadvantaged learners is also having an impact, with projects to date including penpal contact with a children’s author, ‘story sacks’ made with families, and ‘Bricks and Books’ clubs used as engaging interventions for those who need it.

Commenting on their win, Headteacher Simon Phipps said, ‘Reading for Pleasure is at the heart of everything we do at Steyning C of E Primary school. This award reflects how much a fantastic, well-valued library can bring to whole school life.  I would particularly like to congratulate our amazing school librarian, Leia Sands, for all her outstanding hard work to ensure that every child in our school has the opportunity to develop a love of reading.’

Weatherhead High School’s Heather Grainger was named 2024 Secondary School Librarian of the Year, an award sponsored by Sora, OverDrive’s school digital reading platform. Following glowing recommendations from her colleagues, Heather impressed the SLA judges with her forward-looking commitment, empathy and enthusiasm in a role she has now held for over a decade – attributes that have enabled her to create and maintain a ‘safe haven’ for students who need space to read and relax in an otherwise busy school environment.

In addition to creating a library that students can enjoy on a daily basis, Heather has expanded Weatherhead’s annual ‘Weatherhead Lit Fest’, previously known as Author Week. This impressively diverse and inclusive celebration, which this year was ‘bigger and better than ever before’, included all students from Years 7-10, a local primary school visit, and trips to a local bookshop and library. Her drive to introduce a range of reading initiatives including World Book Days, Harry Potter Nights and Poetry Slams has proved to be wildly successful in establishing a culture of reading for pleasure, while her Student Librarian Leadership Scheme and efforts to engage every child in the school with reading, whatever their ability or background, attracted high praise from the SLA judging team.

Alison Tarrant, CEO of the SLA, extended her warm congratulations to all the winners and runners-up, saying, ‘Our three winners are all role models of what a commitment to books and reading can do – and they’re not alone in providing brilliant services for young people and communities. Our judges witnessed a great deal of innovation, imagination and enthusiasm in schools around the country this year.

‘At a time when many families and communities are experiencing real hardship, when the pressures on schools are exceedingly tight, and when some librarians are coming under intense scrutiny for the diversity of books they provide, it’s deeply encouraging to see so many individuals going the extra mile to make reading more accessible for all the children and young people they support. Their passion and commitment are not only infectious, but hugely impactful too.’