At a warm and celebratory ceremony in London on 6th November, we announced the School Library Association Secondary School Librarian of the Year, Peter Usborne Primary School Library of the Year and Enterprise of the Year award winners.
Held at The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), the ceremony was hosted by SLA CEO Victoria Dilly and acclaimed author and screenwriter, Anthony Horowitz CBE. The event brought together past award winners, School Library Association members, award sponsors and colleagues from across the sector to recognise the achievements of all this year's shortlisted librarians and library teams.
The twentieth School Librarian of the Year Award, this year sponsored by Browns Books, celebrated three shortlisted librarians, with Julie Broadbent from Northampton International Academy being named as this year's winner.
Julie won for her extraordinary passion and commitment, which have contributed to a culture of positivity at Northampton International Academy, where reading is actively and consistently celebrated. Open every day, including during social times, Julie has developed the school library into a welcoming safe space, housing a diverse collection that reflects the whole school community. From student-led assemblies advocating for the importance of reading, to book groups and giveaways, the impact Julie makes is also seen far beyond the walls of the library.
The award judges commended Julie's initiative in building partnerships within the wider community, working collaboratively with both the local public library and the University of Northampton to maximise reading for pleasure and study skills opportunities for the large numbers of students she supports.
Accepting the award, Julie said: "This is such an honour. I have been a school librarian for 25 years and this is the pinnacle of my career. The amazing thing about the school library is that for every single child who walks through the door, I can turn to them and say: 'I’ve got something just for you!'.
Every child should have access to books, no matter where they are from, because we know the power of those books. Thank you – keep fighting the good fight; for money and for your voices to be heard, because what we do as school librarians is really, really important.”
Mangotsfield C of E Primary School in Bristol was named this year’s winner of the Peter Usborne Primary School Library of the Year Award. Led by librarian Verity Robinson, the library at Mangotsfield is the heart of the school’s reading community, helping every child see themselves as readers and laying the foundation for lifelong library use. Since a recent renovation, the library has transformed the school’s reading culture, engaging everyone from avid readers to those who previously found reading difficult due to dyslexia, language barriers, or simply not yet finding the right book.
Verity thanked the SLA, and the children who she works to represent and inspire through the school library: "I am so grateful for the community the School Library Association has built. I was one of the lucky children; I grew up in a home full of stories, with parents who took me to the library, but that isn’t always the case and we know the impact that the school library can make for all children.
Thank you to all the children at my school – for their curiosity, and for their enthusiasm – from the quietest children who don’t yet know they are readers, to the keenest of my student librarians."
L-R: Julie Broadbent, Collette Wade, Victoria Dilly, Verity Robinson
Thomas A’Becket Infant School in West Sussex was announced as the winner of the Enterprise of the Year Award for their renovation of the school library, named The Shore in tribute to Teaching Assistant, Miss Emily Shaw, who passed away suddenly at the start of 2024. This remarkable community driven project has created a welcoming and inspiring environment that perfectly reflects its pupils' needs.
In a heartfelt acceptance address, Deputy Head, Collette Wade highlighted the power of the school library to bring whole communities together, and to bring joy across generations: "Creating The Shore was a project that truly united us - the love, kindness and contributions that we found in our local community was amazing. It was all about the children. We kept the library project completely secret from our pupils and it was incredible to see the children's faces when they walked into the space for the first time. The legacy of this project will live on."
Author and screenwriter Anthony Horowitz presented the awards after opening the ceremony with an entertaining and impassioned address on the importance of the school library as a space where all children are welcome and as the beating heart of a school. Anthony spoke about the humanity of reading and its power to build empathy, as well as the joy to be found in a wide choice of reading material. Remembering his own school days, Anthony said: "I didn’t start reading 'great' books: I started with comic books. From there I moved on to adventure books. Before I could know it I had caught the reading bug, and once you’ve caught it, it is a lifelong addiction. You don't have to read great literature to become a great reader."
Seeing the passion, expertise and support in the room this evening was a reminder of the enormous value of community building and of the power of sharing our stories more widely. It is through stories about the work of school librarians like this year's nominees and winners that we will achieve the greatest advocacy for school libraries.
Victoria Dilly, CEO of the SLA said: “As we navigate ever increasing pressures in schools both on staff and students alike, the thing that never changes is the positive difference a school librarian and a well-run library can make to a whole school community. This is why our awards are so very important – they are an opportunity to celebrate success and the positive impact the work of our award nominees and winners has on the lives of hundreds of young people every single day. Through these awards we can show exactly why and how a school library and hard-working librarian is such an integral part of every young person’s education – and that investment in both should be an immovable item in the budget line and a point of pride for every school community.”
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the ceremony and to our award sponsors: Browns Books, Usborne, and Reading Cloud. It is an enormous privilege to host these awards and we are grateful for the support that makes them possible.
Photo of Julie Broadbent, Secondary School Librarian of the Year © Adam Hollingworth