Emeritus Prof Christopher MaySep 28, 2025

I'm all for any policy that encourages reading among the young, but I am frankly astonished that Rachel Reeves has promised to provide a library for every primary school in England; I say astonished because apparently 1,700 primary schools DO NOT have a library.

How has this happened? A school without a library?????

I knew the Tories had f**ked up the education system, but even though I though I could not longer be shocked by their callousness, I am!

#schools #books
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/28/rachel-reeves-pledges-a-library-in-every-primary-school-in-england

Rachel Reeves pledges a library in every primary school in England

Exclusive: Chancellor also set to unveil plans to get young people back into work in party conference speech

The Guardian
Show threadJuggling With EggsSep 28, 2025

@ChrisMayLA6

I was astonished too. I kept quiet and showed the headline to my partner who is a librarian…he almost fell off his chair.

I can’t imagine a primary school without a library. This just doesn’t compute. How was it allowed to happen that libraries were removed…from schools?!

#ToryLegacy

Show threadMidgePhotoSep 28, 2025

@JugglingWithEggs @ChrisMayLA6

Eton had a really good library, so none of the previous Cabinets saw a problem.

Show threadJuggling With Eggs

@Photo55 @ChrisMayLA6

But so did my small CofE primary school (we got to choose new additional books every term from the travelling school library bus). My middle school had a dedicated librarian, Mrs Ahern who chastised me for reading ghost stories from the school library - she was convinced this was the reason for the dark circles around my eyes…and then my comprehensive had a whole floor dedicated to the library and a team that ran it.

All schools need libraries.

Sep 28, 2025 at 11:01pmWeb
Show threadMidgePhotoSep 29, 2025
@JugglingWithEggs
It was an attempt at sarcasm, but the point there is that previous Cabinet ministers didn't go to all schools.
Some of this governments cabinet and the pool to draw it from did.
(And I know at least one of the previous gov ministers went to #charterhouse rather than Eton)