Rachel Reeves has pledged that, under a Labour government, every primary school in England will get a properly resourced library. As reported by The Guardian, the plan would see around 1,700 schools without libraries gain new or refurbished facilities, with £132.5 million in dormant assets earmarked for the rollout. The proposal is framed as both an educational investment and a matter of fairness, since children in poorer areas are disproportionately likely to attend schools without a dedicated library space.
The School Library Association has long warned that the lack of provision creates a postcode lottery, with pupils in wealthier areas enjoying far better access to books. By guaranteeing every child a library at school, Reeves hopes to narrow that gap and spark a broader culture of reading.
The state of reading in the UK
The urgency of the pledge is underscored by sobering literacy figures. According to the Department for Education (DfE), more than a quarter of pupils in England finished primary school in 2024 without meeting the expected reading standard. Only 68% of 11-year-olds achieved the benchmark in reading, up by a single percentage point on the previous year. Writing results were no better: nearly three in ten children left primary school without expected writing skills.
Enjoyment of reading is also in decline. Research by the National Literacy Trust found that just one in three children and young people said they enjoyed reading in 2023, the lowest level the charity has recorded since it began its annual surveys two decades ago. Even more worrying, fewer than one in five said they read something daily outside the classroom.
At secondary level, literacy struggles persist. Nearly a third of pupils failed to secure at least a grade 4 in GCSE English last year, meaning hundreds of thousands of teenagers are entering adulthood without strong reading or writing foundations.
How the library plan could work, and the hurdles it faces
To turn this promise into more than a campaign line, Labour would need to think beyond shelving units and book donations. Many schools lack spare rooms, so some libraries may need to be integrated into multi-use spaces. Staffing will be critical: a library without a librarian risks becoming little more than storage. Experts argue that specialist staff are essential for running reading schemes, organising author visits, and linking books to classroom work.
Equity is another test. Schools in affluent areas often benefit from generous fundraising and well-stocked libraries already. To close the literacy gap, Reeves’ plan must deliver the most resources to the schools with the least. Sustained funding will also be vital. Without annual budgets for new books, cataloguing and maintenance, libraries can quickly fall into disuse.
If successful, however, the pledge could help reverse a long decline in reading culture. Dedicated library spaces, coupled with structured reading time and encouragement from teachers, have been shown to improve attainment across subjects, not just English. More importantly, they nurture the habit of reading for pleasure, which the National Literacy Trust calls one of the strongest predictors of future academic and economic success.