The report by the Libraries All Party Parliamentary Group about improving educational attainment through school libraries and librarians, The Beating Heart of the School, has just been published.

The report calls for every child in the UK to have a good library in their secondary school, and makes four recommendations:

• The Department for Education starts collecting figures about the number of schools that have a library and librarian
• The Minister for Schools examines the full contribution that school libraries make to children's education and development
• Ofsted includes libraries in their inspections
• The Department for Education has a lead staff-member for school libraries

Lord Graham Tope, Chair of the Libraries APPG, said:

"We must make sure that children in our schools are encouraged to read, have access to exciting books and reading materials, and are taught research and digital literacy skills. If every school has a well-resourced, properly staffed, fit for purpose library that is a key part of their strategies it will make a huge contribution to young people's educational attainment."

You can find a copy of the report on our Publications/Cilip page.