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The winners of the prestigious SLA Awards 2022 have been announced at a Swindon awards ceremony.<\/p>\nThe winners of the prestigious SLA Awards 2022 have been announced at a Swindon awards ceremony.<\/p>\n
The awards recognise the country\u2019s best school library workers, their achievements, and their work to create and drive incredibly positive contributions to learning. According to a poll of SLA members, over 3 million books were lent to pupils over the last year alone, an average of 18 books per pupil.<\/p>\n
These annual awards recognise, celebrate and promote the vital role school libraries play within their communities. Considered the most influential accolade in the industry, the annual awards are open to all state, academy and private schools. They are designed to identify and celebrate examples of best practice across the UK.<\/p>\n
The judges selected one \u2018Secondary School Librarian of the Year\u2019 award winner and two joint winners in the \u2018Primary School\u2019 category. One winner was presented with the award in the \u2018Enterprise\u2019 category and one winner of the \u2018Community Award\u2019. The judges also gave a highly commended award to Hull Schools Library Service for its work with St Charles Academy.<\/p>\n
The winners of the School Library Association 2022 awards in each category were:<\/p>\n
School Librarian of the Year Award \u2013 Secondary School<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n| Derek France\u00a0–\u00a0<\/em>Preston Lodge\u00a0High School, East Lothian<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | School Librarian of the Year Award \u2013 Primary School joint winners<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Rumena Aktar\u00a0– Firs Primary School, Castle Bromwich, West Midlands<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Jenny Griffiths\u00a0–\u00a0Ravenscourt Park Preparatory School, London<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Enterprise Award<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Broughton Junior School – Aylesbury, Berkshire<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Community Award<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Alexandra Palace Children\u2019s Book Award Team<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Hull Schools Library Service\u00a0– Highly Commended for their work with St Charles Voluntary Catholic Academy, Hull, East Riding, Yorkshire<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n | \nThe panels of judges, comprised of SLA trustees, authors, educational leaders and\u00a0former SLA award winners, evaluated the entries based on each school\u2019s needs, potential and commitment to supporting education standards.<\/p>\n Judges of the \u2018School Librarian of the Year\u2019 award in the \u2018Secondary School\u2019 category presented the trophy to Derek France of Preston Lodge High School, East Lothian, because of his engagement with his school\u2019s different departments; bringing the library into the heart of the school. Derek runs fun and engaging research lessons tailored to what each class and teacher needs. The library feels like part of the life of the school.<\/p>\n Headteacher, Gavin Clark said: \u201cDerek has energised a love for literature through many clubs. He empowers the students to start their own clubs including the new feminism club in the library which was proposed by a group of students. He has also organised many online author visits. A science teacher commented that this is the first school where he has taken advantage of the library, not because of the space but because of the librarian.\u201d<\/p>\n Rumena Atkar of Firs Primary School, Castle Bromwich, and Jenny Griffiths\u00a0of\u00a0Ravenscourt Park Preparatory School, London,\u00a0were jointly awarded \u2018School Librarian of the Year\u2019 in the \u2018Primary School\u2019 category. The judges remarked that Rumena has managed to establish a whole school reading culture making a huge impact on learning. Every teacher the judges spoke to could name a child that has been positively impacted by Rumena.\u00a0 She is the only librarian in the Trust and shows what a difference a librarian can make in a primary school setting.<\/p>\n In London,\u00a0<\/strong>parents are choosing to send their children to Ravenscourt Park because of the library that Jenny Griffiths\u00a0<\/strong>runs. The judges noted the\u00a0<\/strong>constant stream of pupils wanting to borrow books, and because Jenny knows each of the students so well, she can always recommend a book they will love. Jenny also works really well with all members of staff and incorporates their teaching into her story-time, either through the choice of books or through what she chooses to highlight. She even runs a pupil librarian scheme and gets involved in all school open days.<\/p>\n For the Enterprise of the Year Award, the judges were impressed by the highly imaginative project run by Broughton Junior School in Aylesbury, Berkshire. The unprecedented use of space in both of the library areas – the garden and the \u2018Victorian\u2019 reading room, was respected by the judges as magical, with books that \u2018mirrored\u2019 the local community and in turn, encouraged the children\u2019s curiosity.<\/p>\n The winner of the \u2018Community Award\u2019,\u00a0<\/strong>which\u00a0<\/strong>recognises wider support for the school library from local businesses or individuals, was\u00a0the Alexandra Palace Children\u2019s Book Award Team\u00a0which included Helen Swinyard, Tanya Efthymiou, Gill Ward, and Kate Ereira. The project demonstrated a brilliant joint working initiative between primary, secondary schools and public libraries; one that the judges noted was refreshed each year to keep it feeling new. The longevity and growth of this project over several years is proof of how it is valued by the community.<\/p>\n Alison Tarrant, Chief Executive Officer at the School Library Association said: \u201cWe were really impressed with the high quality of entries for this year, and our panels of esteemed judges had an incredibly hard time selecting the winners \u2013 even harder than usual!<\/p>\n \u201cTo be named as an honouree is a great achievement in itself, but to be crowned a SLA Awards winner at a time when school libraries are vital for post-pandemic recovery to become the heart of so many schools, is something to truly celebrate. On behalf of all the judges, I would like to congratulate the winners.\u00a0 They should be extremely proud of receiving this accolade, and we look forward to sharing their knowledge and experience with other schools across the UK.<\/p>\n \u201cThe awards play such a valuable part in not only rewarding excellence but also helping other schools to see what is possible. The SLA team and our panel of esteemed judges were amazed by the creativity and determination demonstrated by the winners.<\/p>\n \u201cCongratulations to them all.\u201d<\/p>\n |