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<p>School libraries play an important role in encouraging pupils to read for pleasure.
We believe that it should be for schools to decide whether to provide and maintain
a library service for their pupils.</p><p>Head teachers do recognise the role libraries
can play in improving young people’s literacy, and ensure that suitable library facilities
are provided. It is also up to schools to decide how they run their library. While
many head teachers, especially those in secondary schools, choose to employ a qualified
librarian, this is not a statutory requirement.</p><p>We do not collect data on school
library provision. However, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)
indicated in 2011 that 92% of pupils in Year 5 in England were attending a school
where there was a library. This was above the international average of 86%.</p>
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