Why We Do It - The Big Summer Book Swap

Our annual Big Summer Book Swap is back! We are thrilled to be able to support our Kent schools by facilitating a Kent-wide book swap to replenish and update school libraries. You may be wondering what inspired this campaign - other than our Campaign Co-ordinator's love of books!

As an ex-teacher and former Reading Lead, I know first hand how vital reading and how expensive keeping quality books up to date can be. Here at Kent-Teach, we know how much hard work goes into creating a welcoming and diverse school and class library. Reading is such a vital life skill and schools play a fundamental role in nurturing the positive attitudes to reading from an early age. However, these things come at a cost. Books are expensive and schools (and parents) may find it difficult to ensure that there are books to meet the needs and interests of their children.

In the latest surveys by the National Literacy Trust (2024) found the following:

“1 in 10 children and young people aged 5 to 18 say they do not have a book of their own at home.”

“1 in 6 (18%) of adults in England, or 6.6 million people, can be described as having 'very poor literacy skills'. Adults with poor literacy skills may be locked out of the job market and, if they become a parent, may find it more difficult to support their child’s learning.”

“Just 1 in 3 (34.6%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 said that they enjoyed reading in their free time in 2024. Reading enjoyment levels have decreased by 8.8 percentage points over the past year alone.”

“There were regional differences in reading enjoyment across England, with levels being highest in the West Midlands (39.5%) and Greater London (38.8%) and lowest in the South East (30.8%).”

 -            National Literacy Trust (this report is based on 76,131 responses to our Annual Literacy Survey and Book Ownership in 2024 from children and young people aged 5 to 18 in early 2024.)

To support schools with providing high quality books to their children, Kent-Teach are proud to be running our second ever annual Kent-wide Big Summer Book Swap! Schools across Kent will be able to swap some of their library books in exchange for another school’s set of books. All schools who participate in the swap will be entered into a prize draw for a bundle of new books courtesy of Bloomsbury. If you would like to take part, please register your interest here: https://forms.office.com/e/Uxs081dfN0

Big Summer Book Swap Terms and Conditions:

1) All participating schools must be located within Kent. 

2) By donating the book, the school acknowledges that this is their property and are able to swap this item with no restrictions.

3) All participating schools understand swaps are final and cannot be changed, exchanged or exchanged for monetary value.

4) Schools will be responsible for ensuring the quality of books meet the book swap criteria. The criteria can be found below:

i) The book will be in a good condition (no rips or tears, no missing pages and no damage that impedes the reader from reading the book)but expected wear and tear will be eligible. See appendix for more guidance. Book Swap Appendix.pdf (414.3KB)

ii) Non-fiction book will be no older than 20 years old from date of publishing. This means the book’s publishing date will be 2005 onwards for non-fiction books.

iii) Books will be appropriate for children (young adult fiction will be accepted)

iv) Participating schools agree to provide 50 books for the swap.

5) Books unsuitable for the exchange will be returned to the school. 

6) Books will be submitted to Kent-Teach to evaluate before the swap takes place. Book received later than 5th July 2024 will not be counted and will be returned to the school.

7) All participating schools will be entered into a prize draw to receive a bundle of new books worth £50.

8) Kent-Teach reserves the right to cancel or amend the Book Swap and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of a catastrophe, war, civil or military disturbance, act of God or any actual or anticipated breach of any applicable law or regulation or any other event outside of Kent-Teach’s control. Any changes to the swap will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.

9) Kent-Teach is not liable and will not take any responsibility for any loss, damage or theft of the books during transit to Kent-Teach nor after books have been collected on book swap day.

10) By participating in this event, you acknowledge that you and your school grounds may be photographed or filmed by our staff or representatives. These images and videos may be used for promotional, marketing, or other purposes related to our organisation.

If you do not wish to be photographed or filmed, please notify us in writing prior to book collection.

11) By entering this book swap, the entrant is agreeing to these terms and conditions.

For more information about the Big Summer Book Swap, follow us on our socials (Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube) or send us an email at: support@kent-teach.co.uk. 

Need advice on how to get children reading? Take a look at our blog 6 Ways to Encourage Children to Read