CILIP responded to a call for evidence to inform the Education Committee’s one-off session on the work of Ofsted with Sir Michael Wilshaw, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector.
Executive Summary
A professionally managed, well resourced school library has been shown to impact positively on children’s literacy levels, enjoyment of reading, information and digital literacy skills, confidence and self esteem
This submission sets out how they support key aspects of school life that are of interest to OFSTED: school leadership and management; the quality of teaching, learning and assessment; and the personal development, behaviour and welfare of children. CILIP firmly believes that embedding school libraries and the work of library professionals in the O fsted inspection framework would help Ofsted to achieve its overarching goal of “excellence in education and skills for learners of all ages, and in the care of children and young people”.
At the moment there is no provision for the inclusion ofschool libraries within Ofsted inspections, resulting in secondary sector provision that “varies from excellent to invisible” and a government that has no quantitative data on the issue.
