A new study shows that poor range of books and unsuitable opening times are putting pupils off school libraries

Research has shown that school libraries are so poor that pupils are only taking out on average one book per term. Some schools have so few books to offer that they have become over protective and don't let pupils take them out. Other school pupils are losing out because their libraries are open irregular hours due to lack of staff.

The study, commissioned by the charity Bookstart, found that primary schools spend on average £8.04 on each pupil per year, where as secondary school spend just £2.67 per pupil. Primary schools have staffing problems, where as secondary schools often have trained librarians, but a lack of books.

A researcher for Bookstart said, There just isn't a wide enough range of books in many libraries to interest pupils and libraries are sometimes not good enough at attracting pupils. Many don't trust pupils to take out books on loan. It's crucial that we get pupils reading for pleasure and that is much more likely to happen with well stocked libraries that are open when they want them to be." Research performed by Bookstart shows that 92% of secondary schools and 61% of primary schools are spending less than is advised per head on library books.