Teach Secondary Q&A with Mel Crawford, Schools Team Manager

September 16th 2020

In this Q&A for Teach Secondary magazine, Peters' Schools Team Manager Mel Crawford tells us about the support the Peters team can offer to secondary schools. 

What support can Peters offer secondary schools when it comes to choosing books for their students?

Peters has a team of expert librarians and curriculum specialists to support schools. We read and review more than 10,000 of the latest newly published children’s, YA and educational titles every year, so have a wealth of book-related knowledge and can advise on the best books available to suit your needs. They’ll also audit your existing book stock if needed, and suggest suitable books for a refresh.

What year groups, subject content and forms of material does Peters' service offering cover?

Peters supports schools right through from early years to Key Stage 5 and beyond. We offer competitive discounts on textbooks, set texts, revision guides and study material across the full range of secondary curriculum subjects, and covering all major UK exam boards. We also supply fiction and non-fiction titles for secondary school libraries and classrooms, and provide book lists and recommended reads curated by qualified librarians.

What type of requests do you typically receive from schools?

 At the moment we’re seeing lots of requests for diverse and inclusive books (both fiction and non-fiction) from schools, in response to the Black Lives Matter campaign. Many schools are asking for books to support wellbeing, as they are anticipating that students will have been impacted in different ways by the coronavirus lockdown. Empathy is popular too, and so are GCSE and A Level English set texts, as we offer savings when you buy multiple copies.

Do you provide any particular offers or services for assisting schools with their library facilities?

We offer a service where a member of our team will visit your library to audit your books and make recommendations. Book packs are a quick and easy way to update your stock; choose a theme or relevant age group and we will handpick the books for you. We also offer free bespoke library designs if your space needs a refresh – our designers will visit or chat over the phone then work with you to put a design together.

Schools will currently be in the position of having to help many students catch up on their reading progress after months of lockdown – what advice would you give on how to go about doing this?

Get your pupils reading for pleasure – it’s proven to be vitally important for reading progress and all-round attainment. Schools that do this best tend to be those that prioritise reading across the board, with students encouraged to read books that support a wide range of curriculum subjects. School libraries have a key part to play, so ensure your library gets enough focus. One school is planning for teachers to read to Year 7–10 students every day from September, which we think is a fantastic idea!

Melanie Crawford is the Schools Team Manager at Peters, having previously trained as a librarian and worked as a book buyer.