The primary pupils who don’t have a library at their school

MORE than 750,000 children in the UK do not have a library at their primary school, in what campaigners have called a ‘social mobility time bomb’.

A report also found stark regional inequalities, with just 6 per cent of state primaries in the South East of England without one, compared with 16 and 18 per cent in the North West and North East.

It means children are missing out on a resource that boosts ‘academic performance, well-being and their chances of being successful in life’, according to the Primary School Library Alliance (PSLA), which is now pushing for ‘a library and a librarian in every school’.

The findings, from a survey of 3,752 state primaries, also indicate that 41 per cent in Northern Ireland do not have a dedicated library area, 25 per cent in Scotland and 23 per cent in Wales.

Children’s author Cressida Cowell, a National Literacy Trust ambassador and former Children’s Laureate, said: ‘How can a child learn to read for the joy of it if their parents cannot afford books, and their primary school does not have a library? It’s a social mobility time bomb.’

Jonathan Douglas, chief executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: ‘The challenge of transforming and sustaining primary school libraries is a large-scale challenge’.

There is no statutory requirement for schools to have a library, but they must promote literacy. Previous surveys have indicated schools in poorer areas are less likely to have a dedicated library.