Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what investment has been made in secondary school libraries in England over the past fifteen years.

School libraries complement public libraries by giving pupils access to a range of books and other kinds of texts, both in and out of school.

It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian, and the department gives headteachers autonomy to decide how best to spend the core schools funding that is allocated to them by the department. Given this autonomy, the department does not collect information on the number of school libraries or school librarians.

​The government’s reading framework offers non-statutory guidance for teachers and school leaders, including helpful guidance for schools on how to organise their school library, book corner or book stock to make reading accessible and attractive to readers.