I'm sorry, I have to have another rant about school - please feel free to ignore (it's ridiculously long).

[marthamoo]

Ds1 is in Year 4 (I am so mad....) He loves reading, reads anything, everything, has read Harry Potter, lots of quite difficult books etc. (I am bl*dyseething....) I love that he loves reading, I consider it one of my prime roles as a parent to instil in him a love of books - it's a gift for life (I hate that bl**dy school...)
OK, deep breath...phooooooooooooo.
The reading books he gets from school are a) too easy b) exceedingly dull. This galls me a little but as he has a diet of the good stuff at home I haven't worried about it too much. Since he started in Year 4 he has been bringing home a series of books called Boys Rule here (have just seen that they are for "less able" or "reluctant" readers....BOOOOM! - that was my head exploding) They are crap, anyway. They are aimed squarely at boys. He finished those and now he is reading the "Girls Rock!" series (see link, left hand side). These - surprisingly enough - are aimed at girls. So far we have had sneaky brothers reading diaries, lost ankle bracelets...
Tonight, he brought home "Girls Rock! School Play Stars" and, in among such gems of literature as

Renaissance in children's literature is right, MI. There is some fantastically imaginative and original writing around (Philip Pullman, Cornelia Funke, Zizou Corder, Philip Ardagh, Lemony Snicket, even Caroline Lawrence, who isn't great literature but is a fantastic read -- sort of Famous Five set in Roman times). All very boy-friendly, as well.

But have school libraries woken up to this? Have they hell. There seem to be no structures in place to guide children's tastes and encourage them to reach beyond their comfort zone. Worse, in lots of schools there seems to be a deliberate attempt to prevent children from advancing too quickly because (a) they will exhaust the school's reading resources and (b) it's inconvenient for the teachers if the ability range becomes too wide. I have actually been told off the record by a TA that they had received instructions along these lines.

All this makes me so mad I become splutteringly incoherent. But in the end you're not going to change the culture. I vacillate between attempts to do what I can (eg. Y2's new book collection, and periodically offering to change books once a week) and battening down the hatches to ensure that my own children are at least provided with decent reading material, and supported, encouraged and challenged to make use of it. But the thought of all the children who have no-one to fight their corner does bother me. And public libraries aren't that great either -- what are all the boys in the local library doing? Yup, Playstation.

Get tough, Mmoo.

This is not to say I encourage them not to finish a book. But we all start books which turn out to disappoint. At their age, it's far more productive to be reading something enjoyable.

I think our public library is relatively encouraging (stocks Funke, Pullman, Snicket et al - and a lot of very recently published adult stuff too), at least.

Mind you I don't remember things being much better back in the 1970s (also Renaissance of Children's Lit).

Secondary school libraries seem to be better, though, with no obvious divide between state and private.

At one school we've applied to, the child had to write a letter to be attached to the application form, explaining why she wanted to go to that school.

Dd1's read (promise I didn't ghost it!): "I think your library is outstanding, and would encourage even the most reluctant reader to try new books. Myself I am a most enthusiastic reader, and would be happy to just get started in your lovely library."

Frogs, most primary school libraries are shocking. Full of unimaginative junk. The problem is, as always, money. Library books are far down the line behind classroom resources.

It would help for a start if ALL schools had a qualified librarian in charge of book selection I think. We take our training and ongoing professional responsibilities very seriously and it does make me cross that something as major as learning resources is too often farmed out to non-experts just to save a few bob per head at LEA level.
Why are the Greenaway and Carnegie Awards a byword for excellence in children's literature down the years? Because they are shortlisted and chosen by experienced childrens' librarians.
It's not usually a librarian's fault that there is shoddily written rubbish at primary school level alas.

EVERY child should have access to the type of excellent Library your dd saw frogs, I quite agree.
Everyone on here - go back and ask what information-professional input there is to your schools' "library" material selection...

What there was, in my day, was Miss Grainger, who ran the children's book dept in James Thin in Edinburgh.

You went in, and you said, I really like spooky things/horses/orphans/ballet/whatever, and she looked at you and listened to how you spoke and considered what she'd given you before and took you to the Perfect Book.

Oh yes, James Thin! What a memory. Sad to see it's now a branch of Blackwell's or something.

I agree Marina, but our school can barely afford one TA who moves across the entire school so a qualified librarian would be out of the question. We hold 4 scholastic book clubs a year just so we can earn enough commission to buy new reference books.

A proper Schools Library service should be high on the agenda for every LEA homemama. With peripatetic professionals visiting regularly and liaising with the teaching and learning support staff in each school. I agree it is hard to justify at individual school level.

It's not just about money, though, homemama, there has to be a will as well, and someone with the high expectations and the vision to select good literature and encourage children to develop their tastes.

Our school last year carried over a budget surplus significantly northwards of £50,000. This is a one-form entry school, with a head teacher and deputy head who do no timetabled teaching, and two other full-time floating teachers who support other classes (one does SENCO as well).

They have plenty of money for all sorts of fancy computer equipment and PE stuff (both the head's pet topics) but none for blinking books. I'm sure if the will was there to create a first-class library it could be done -- they're still spending money on books, but mainly on undemanding shite.

A lovely idea that operates in my cousin's children's school is a tradition whereby parents are encouraged (no pressure) to donate a book to the school library to mark their child's birthday. The child then gets a bookplate with his or her name in the front of the book. Or even a mailshot to parents after (say) Christmas, asking them to consider donating any duplicate books, or extra book tokens to the school's library.

It just lacks someone to really take the issue seriously and do something about it. I have considered offering, but I know that the culture of the school (and we're talking high league-table position here) is such that the task would ultimately drive me insane, because there's no real will behind it.

Is there a librarian in place at this school frogs? Who's choosing the books they are buying?

I agree completely about the importance of books. In some ways they are more important in schools like ours as it's a deprived area with the majority of kids going all the way through without ever being heard read at home.

Frogs, it does sound as if your school is 'resting on its laurels' somewhat. Don't you have problems getting IEPs for G&T children too?
What is the point of schools carrying over such an enormous surplus?

No, no librarian. The books that they do buy (not many, recently) are just taken from the NC recommendations, or some catalogue or other. At least that's what I heard from another parent who volunteered to be the school's unofficial librarian before deciding after six months that she could spend the time more productively just banging her head against the wall.

I'm slightly banjaxed by it all, really. I find it hard to believe that among all these teachers (some of whom are wonderful, some less so) there isn't anyone who takes an interest in children's literature (such great reading, so undemanding!) enough to do something about it. They all seem to be too busy reading the LEA and NC doc, schemes of work etc.

I think in the end it's pretty much as Philip Pullman has gone on the record saying: the constraints of NC and league tables and just getting through the day/week/term/year have completely squeezed out the notion that school should be about love of books or learning for its own sake.

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frogs
Philip Pullman is a wise man as well as a consummate storyteller.
It is SUCH a shame.

This is a bit of a hijack and a hobbyhorse, but I keep wondering whether the Education topic here should have some links to ideal booklists put together by us for (eg) a reluctant 8yo boy; a very advanced 5yo girl; a child who loves Egyptian things but can't bear to see a picture of a dead cat; etc - a kind of Virtual Miss Grainger.

Or maybe there is something like that out there on the web already?

If anyone agrees, maybe I will start a ball rolling.

That is a fab idea Binkie and I'd be willing to chip in. Lots of people on Mn care about this issue, clearly, and I have had loads of useful recommendations from them.

LOL at Virtual Miss Grainger. I wonder if you could persuade them to call the section Miss Grainger Suggests in her honour!

having only read your original post I must say that I'd be into that classroom like a shot with the aim to tell that teacher a thing or two about the love of books and a good story and relevant material for my child...

... of course I'd stand there petrified of totally turning the teacher against my child by sounding off

Happy Birthday Twiglett by the way!

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Frogs, your dd sounds wonderful

I will try the Martin Jarvis books, Marina - thanks for the recommendation. He does like Horrid Henry (I don't), but he also loves Lemony Snicket, Dahl, Ian Ogilvie's Measle books, Joan Aiken's Mortimer books...oh too many to mention (he rattled through Anthony Horowitz's ArkAngel in 2 days on holiday - then I read the next one and decided they weren't entirely suitable for an 8 year old ) I could maybe understand the logic of the Boys Rule books if he was a reluctant reader (I don't believe they would encourage one but that's what it says on the tin, so to speak) but he isn't! I don't know if his teacher is even aware of how good a reader he is (yes, I know, I have to go in...)

The school is, on paper at least, very good. But a lot of what frogs said rang bells - it had a massive budget surplus last year too, and they have lovely paintings on the playground floor (school crest and motto to walk over as you go in), and they have one of those computer-linked OHP things so you can do marvellous displays to impress the parents...but definitely no librarian. The library looks fairly well stocked but I have no idea when the children go in it - ds1 has certainly never brought a 'library' book home. We do have an excellent public library (and I have an Amazon addiction) so we're not stuck for books at home - but what about the children who are?

Fab idea, binkie.