A Guide to Maximising Your Secondary Library Funding

The £5 million secondary school library fund, announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the Autumn Budget (November 2025), means schools across England are set to receive around £1,400 to invest in library books for secondary schools. The funding is part of the National Year of Reading 2026 (NYR2026), a Department for Education (DfE) led initiative with literacy organisations to boost reading engagement among young people and support schools in refreshing their secondary library collections and encouraging reading for pleasure. Schools should keep an eye on Department for Education (DfE) updates and guidance on GOV.UK, where further details on how and when the funding will be distributed are expected to be published. This funding also presents an opportunity for schools to review their approach to secondary school library funding, selecting book suppliers for schools, and bulk buying books for schools.

For secondary school librarians, this presents an opportunity to reflect on students’ needs and interests, and to identify any gaps in their current library provision. Making the most of the funding will depend on a clear, focused strategy that prioritises these areas, while also sourcing high-quality, good-value discounted books, to ensure the budget goes as far as possible.

Browse School Bargain Bookshop’s four packs to Maximise Your Secondary Library Funding today! Each pack is 50% off RRP, enabling you to set up or update your library with twice as many books for your budget — perfect for buying books in bulk for classroom use and creating impactful library spaces.

Are school libraries still important in secondary schools?

Yes — school libraries remain essential in secondary schools and continue to play a central role in reading culture, attainment, and student wellbeing. This is particularly significant given that reading for pleasure has declined in recent years, with the National Literacy Trust reporting that fewer than half of children and young people say they enjoy reading in their free time.

School libraries help counter this trend by making books visible, accessible, and part of everyday school life. Research and national guidance consistently show that access to high-quality, engaging books increases reading frequency, supports vocabulary development, and helps students build confidence as readers. Offering high interest secondary years books for struggling readers, hi-lo books for secondary students, and particularity important reluctant readers collections in secondary settings, as it ensures that all students, regardless of ability or confidence, can access reading, stay engaged, and develop the literacy skills they need for academic success and beyond.

In secondary schools, the library’s importance is strongest when it focuses on:
• reading for pleasure alongside curriculum support
• diverse, inclusive titles so that all pupils can see themselves reflected in books and explore a variety of perspectives
• accessible books for secondary reluctant and struggling readers, including high-interest, low reading level (hi-lo) books
• regularly refreshed, relevant stock that aligns with student’s current interests

In an age where young people have more choices and more distractions than ever before, an effective way to reinvigorate interest in an underused library is to refresh its offer. This includes improving stock, increasing the visibility of reading books for schools, and aligning collections more closely with students’ interests and needs. When libraries are actively developed in this way, they are far more likely to become spaces students choose to use.

Even with limited budgets, libraries can have a meaningful impact when investment is targeted effectively. Well-curated, ready-made collections can also reduce pressure on staff time while ensuring students have access to a balanced, high-quality range of secondary school reading books for KS3 and KS4 that genuinely encourage reading.

At School Bargain Bookshop, we have curated four easy-buy book collections for secondary libraries, available at different price points to suit a range of budgets and needs, and designed specifically to help schools maximise the DfE funding boost while working with a trusted school book supplier.

Are the cheapest books the best option for school libraries?

It can be tempting to fill library shelves with books at rock bottom prices, but impact matters far more than quantity — and more books are not always better if they are low-quality or unengaging titles that students simply won’t read. The key is finding the right balance: affordable books that still offer genuine appeal, quality, and relevance for young readers. School Bargain Bookshop is built on this principle, ensuring schools can access heavily discounted collections without compromising on quality or student interest. This is why schools return to us time and again, trusting us to provide carefully curated collections that deliver real value through discounted books for teachers, cheap library book bundles, and bulk buy books for secondary schools.

High-interest fiction, graphic novels, hi-lo titles, and accessible Accelerated Reader books, including AR books for middle years and upper years, and non-fiction AR texts, can significantly increase engagement, especially for students who may not already identify as readers.

A well-curated library collection should:
• balance fiction and non-fiction
• include a range of formats and reading levels, including AR levels
• be regularly reviewed and updated
• encourage independent browsing and choice

These principles, widely used in successful primary libraries, are just as important in secondary settings, particularly when building a whole-school reading culture.

Browse our Library Collections for Secondary Schools, and books for KS3 & KS4 Reluctant or Struggling Readers. Or Maximise Your Secondary Library Funding with our easy-buy collection designed to build a vibrant, modern library that champions reading for pleasure and offers every student a wide, exciting choice of books to match their interests and needs. For settings using Renaissance Learning’s Accelerated Reader for Secondary Schools programme, we offer quizzed and levelled books and collections to support your AR library for 11–16-year-olds. Top up with books that match your pupils’ interests and reading levels, including AR books with low points, AR books with high points, and short AR books, which can help support both progression and engagement. A strong AR library should also include nonfiction AR books and diverse AR books to broaden reading experiences.

Should students be involved in shaping the school library?

Strong libraries are shaped by their readers. Involving students in book selection, recommendations, and library promotion helps create a sense of ownership and increases engagement.

Simple strategies include:

student book recommendations and displays
library ambassadors or helpers
surveys to gather pupil voice
reading challenges or themed promotions

When students feel represented in the library, they are far more likely to use it.

Should I buy individual books or curated collections?

Selecting the right books individually can be very time-consuming. Also, one graphic novel for the student you know who loves comics and gaming won’t be enough, and they’re probably not alone in being drawn into reading through that genre. Ready-made collections offer a practical solution, helping schools maximise impact while reducing workload. In addition, they help you create balanced collections, fill gaps, or stock books that reflect current interests and trends. Buying books in bulk for classroom use and building cohesive school library collections can also help schools access greater discounts. Choosing bulk buy books for schools, cheap class sets of books, and value library books allows you to make the most of your secondary school library funding while stocking more books for secondary schools.

Our curated collections include:

The Maximise Your Secondary Library Funding pack is designed specifically to help schools make the most of their funding allocation. It provides a carefully curated selection of engaging, high-quality titles suitable for KS3 and KS4 — ensuring a balanced, relevant, and student-focused collection straight out of the box.

If your school has more specific needs, we can help you create a bespoke collection tailored to your priorities, whether that’s bulk buy books for schools, or targeted subject support such as science books, history books, and geography books. Contact Us to discuss your requirements and build a collection that works for your students.

In conclusion

Making the most of the secondary school library funding is about more than simply buying books — it’s about making strategic, informed choices that will have a lasting impact on students’ reading habits and engagement. By focusing on quality, relevance, and inclusivity, and by considering approaches such as curated collections, Accelerated Reader books, and support for reluctant readers, schools can create library spaces that truly support reading for pleasure.

Ultimately, this funding presents a valuable opportunity to refresh, revitalise, and reimagine the role of the secondary school library — ensuring it remains a central, dynamic part of school life for all students, while making the most of great-value library books from trusted school book suppliers.

To explore how discounted collections can help you stretch your budget further while maintaining quality, read our Guide to the Benefits of Discounted Book Collections.

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