School Library Pack Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

FAQs

• When will publisher submissions for SLP open?

  We are not currently accepting submissions for SLP as we are not offering this pack this year. We are taking the time to learn and research how we can best offer more targeted support for secondary school aged children from low-income backgrounds and to do this within the financial resources we have available. We aim to conclude this learning exercise later in 2023 and will have a clearer idea about the future of the School Library Pack after that.

• Why is BookTrust stopping the School Library Pack?

  At this stage we are only pausing delivery of the SLP this year whilst we take the time to learn and research how we can best offer more targeted support for secondary school aged children from low-income backgrounds within the financial resources we have available. We aim to conclude this learning exercise later in 2023 and will have a clearer idea about the future of the School Library Pack after that.

  We are doing this as we are facing rising costs and have to make difficult decisions about the books and resources we are able to offer to children.

• At a time when schools are struggling more than ever and have less budget, why are you pausing the SLP now?

  We know teachers, schools and librarians work incredibly hard to provide their students with a rich learning experience and many are facing challenges with budgets.

  As a charity, this free pack of books is currently funded by BookTrust thanks to the generous support of our funders and donors. At a time when we are facing rising costs we are having to make difficult decisions about the books and resources we are able to offer to children.

• I heard BookTrust received £17.3m from Arts Council recently – why can’t you continue sending out the packs whilst you review?

  We're grateful that Arts Council England continues to fund BookTrust as this is a welcome vote of confidence in the transformative power of reading. We support children and families from 0 to the age of 13, supporting them to establish good reading habits as early as possible and provide extra support to children from low income and vulnerable backgrounds who we know stand to benefit the most from a long-term reading habit.

  However, the cost of delivering all of our support is more than our ACE funding. At a time when we are facing rising costs we are having to make difficult decisions about the books and resources we provide.

• Can I order or purchase a school library pack?

  The SLP is not available to be purchased this year while we take time to learn and research how we can best offer more targeted support for secondary school aged children from low-income backgrounds within the financial resources we have available. We aim to conclude this learning exercise later in 2023 and will have a clearer idea about the future of the School Library Pack after that.

• Can’t you just reduce the number of schools that receive the pack so those with the highest numbers of disadvantaged students can continue to receive it?

  Due to the rising costs we face we regret that there will be no SLP available for any school this year. We are taking time to learn and research how we can best offer more targeted support for secondary school aged children from low-income backgrounds within the financial resources we have available. We aim to conclude this learning exercise later in 2023 and will have a clearer idea about the future of the School Library Pack after that.

• What other support for secondary schools does BookTrust provide/ offer?

  BookTrust provides a range of reading support for secondary school aged children:

  • Through our BookTrust Represents programme we offer in person and virtual author visits to select secondary schools that have high numbers of pupils receiving free school meals, to introduce pupils to diverse and inclusive books, stories and authors in the classroom.
  • We also curate a wide range of top tips, book reviews, recommendations and themed book lists available on our website.
  • If your school has budget available we offer BookBuzz for secondary schools to purchase, which aims to support schools to inspire a love of reading amongst 11-13 year olds through the opportunity of choosing their own book to take home and keep.

• Will the Special School Library pack still be offered?

  Yes the special school library pack will still be sent to all special schools in England with a Year 7 cohort in 2023.

• Why are you only pausing the SLP and not SSLP too?

  At this stage we are only pausing the SLP. The SSLP is specifically curated for special schools and we use different processes to develop this so it will still continue in 2023. Any learning we identify from SLP, if relevant may also be applied to the SSLP in the future.

• Will SLP definitely return in 2024?

  We are aiming to conclude our learning exercise later in 2023 and will have a clearer idea about the future of the School Library Pack after that.

  We are sorry that we are not able to offer this, nor provide more concrete information about the future of the pack at this time.

• Will BookTrust be stopping/ pausing any other programmes?

  Since we launched our new strategy in 2021 we've been refocusing our activity to ensure we can better meet the needs of children from low-income backgrounds who we know stand to gain the most from a regular reading habit.

  We've been making various improvements to our programmes over the last few years and are committed to continuously learning how children, families and partners are using our books and resources so we can ensure our support delivers the best possible impact on their reading habit.

  As a charity we have to be able to demonstrate that our activities deliver value for money as well as achieving the greatest impact we can for the children and families we support and we will continue to explore new ways to listen, learn and improve the books and resources we provide.