Secondary school librarians as heads of department in UK schools

Abstract

Purpose. To study the attitudes of UK head-teachers and of librarians to the view that secondary school librarians should have the status of a head-of-department (HOD).Design/methodology/approach. Questionnaires sent to 77 secondary schools in Cheshire, UK had response rates of 58% from the librarians and of 49% from the head-teachers, with follow-up interviews being conducted with 15 of the librarians.Findings. Most librarians were employed as support staff, although many of them were doing a HOD's job; even when a librarian had this title, they did not often receive the recognition appropriate to such a role. Librarians were more likely to have HOD status in the independent schools sector than in the state-maintained sector, and there was some evidence that head-teachers and librarians have different views as to what a librarian's responsibilities should be.Originality/value. There has been no previous study of this topic in the UK

What is the literacy supportive role of the school librarian in the United Kingdom?

“…Previous research from Australia (Merga, 2019c, 2020b) suggests that the sheer diversity of the role may act as a barrier to school librarians fully realising their potential as literacy supports in schools. School librarians may not have their efforts recognised, with UK research suggesting that secondary school librarians may be seen as support staff rather than leaders, despite the high level of responsibility some may exercise within their roles (Brackenbury and Willett, 2011).…”