Rachel recognised in Pupil Library Assistant awards

Almost two years after first being selected as a finalist for the Pupil Library Assistant of the Year Award, Rachel Bosworth (L6GLA) has finally been awarded with her certificate and prize. 

Rachel was selected as a finalist back in December 2019 when she was in Fourths. At the time, our librarian Mrs Harding spoke about why she had nominated Rachel. 

She said: “Schools are only allowed to nominate one person, and I selected Rachel because not only is she incredibly dedicated, passionate and organised, but that I have also seen how much difference working in the library has made to her. Her confidence has soared and she now trains and mentors the younger pupils.  She’s just brilliant and I’m so pleased we were able to write the nomination in such a way that the judging panel could see this!”

The award is supported by the SLA and CILIP School Libraries Group (SLG) and out of the hundreds of nominations, Rachel was one of only seven school library assistants to reach the final. 

Rachel worked on a final task to submit to the judging panel prior to a ceremony that was due to take place in London in March 2020. Like so many events, the ceremony was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and, although it was hoped that it could be rearranged, it hasn’t been possible. 

Although it is disappointing that Rachel didn’t get the experience of a trip to London to meet the other finalists and guests, she was pleased to finally receive recognition for her achievement when Mr Hartley presented her with a certificate, a commemorative glass book with an etching from a Chris Riddell illustration, and a selection of books donated by various publishers. 

On presenting the prizes to Rachel, Mr Hartley said: “Rachel may not have been selected as the final winner of the award, but she should be very proud of her remarkable achievement in reaching the final.”