Literature Works Literature Works is certainly a model of good practice …the response from schools engaged is overwhelmingly positive; a strategic partnership between the Local Authority School Improvement Consultant / the Culture and Creativity Advisor and senior library staff; Headteacher engagement is key to success; schools have support for advice and guidance on strategy and curriculum guidance; the Literature Lead teachers are supported at termly meetings which all partners attend; the strengths of Literature Works is, in essence, the sum of all parts...we now know much more about each other.

2

Our School Improvement Consultant - Eric. “I would ditto these comments. One additional practical thought would be that where it works best is where a school leads work at building and sustaining a dialogue with local library staff and uses their expertise to support school needs, e.g revamping book corners in classrooms, resourcing key texts for particular age groups, scheduled /focused library visits etc...”

5 Opportunity. we look for the partnership, and very often the opportunity for children and young people, in practically everything we do: –National Libraries Day; –development of new services and libraries; –Investing in Children; –creative programmes and targetted work. 5

77

The Jubilee…and Scotswood Road. city centre and community events coincides with Blaydon Races; opportunities for all sections to participate; HLF funded education programmes; school music services and concerts; 18 July, Tyne and Wear schools event.

11

some reflection... Patrick Ness, winner of the 2011 CILIP Carnegie Medal for Monsters of Men, said in his acceptance speech, –“I owe most of the breadth of my reading to libraries, and particularly to librarians who seemed to know exactly when to recommend and when to look the other way when an eager young reader possibly over- reached. But, and I really believe this, what better way for reading to seem dangerous and risky? –And, also, how ideal to have a safe space to figure out who I was and what mattered to me? There’s so much prescription in the lives of young people, and it’s so vital to have a place that says, look, here are the doors into the world and amazingly you’re free to choose any one you like”.

“The main point for me would be that, whilst all of this work is having an impact, the capacity levels to plan, deliver and evaluate this are reaching overload. Our answer as ever has been to work more collaboratively and work smarter, all of which we are doing, but this is becoming more difficult in these challenging times”. Anon.