Welsh author Bethan Gwanas at Ysgol Bro Cinmeirch
How do I find a patron for my school?
It is recommended you seek a professional writer who:
This avoids schools being approached by inexperienced and self-published authors who may be volunteering in order to further their own careers and raise their profiles. This is not what the Patron of Reading initiative is about. However, if a school has a good relationship with a newly published author/poet and feels they're the right 'fit' for them, then that's perfectly acceptable.
Information about authors can be found on various websites such as the Schools' Library Association , Authors Aloud UK, Contact an Author and Scattered Authors' Society. Schools could approach the author directly via their website, agent or publisher. However, do not be offended if writers refuse; it is not personal. They may be up against deadlines or have a thousand other reasons not to undertake the offer.
It sounds a bit long-winded. Can’t you just find us one?
Probably, but it is usually far more successful when the school looks at the
patrons available and approaches the one that they feel would be most appropriate
for them. We keep an up-to-date list of potential patrons, so please contact us
via the website or email jon.biddle@gmail.com.
What is the financial cost to the school?
We recommend costs should be met for a patron’s visits in the same way as for any author visit. These include the author’s fee for the day, travel costs and overnight accommodation (including an evening meal, if necessary). To give some idea of costs see the Society of Authors guidance here. Discussion about fees should take place before the author commits to the school and vice-versa, to avoid any misunderstanding.
Why do I have to pay?
It is worth bearing in mind that most writers are self-employed; they receive no pension or salary. Any time taken away from writing is a potential loss of earnings. Also, the patron will probably do loads of extra stuff between visits, such as writing newsletters to the kids, for which there will not be a charge.
Does having a patron mean our school can’t have other authors in school?
Not at all; the more the merrier. Likewise, patrons will continue to visit
other schools.
We would like to work with an author who is already patron
at another school. Can we ask them?
As a general rule, a writer should only be a patron at one school, so that the
school has a sense of 'author exclusivity'. However, there are exceptions
to this, for example, if the school is part of a federation or partnership, in
a different country or is a completely different type of school. Most patrons
feel that they could not offer the same level of commitment to more than one
school so would probably not accept. Maybe wait until author has finished their
tenure at their current school before approaching them, or have a look at some
of the other fantastic writers who are available.
Can you sort us out with a patron for a couple of hours
next week to help us improve our GCSE English/SATs results?
No. The patron role is to help engage children with reading for pleasure. Having said that, having more children develop a genuine love of reading will undoubtedly help boost results in the long term. It has also been looked upon favourably by Ofsted inspectors as a way of improving literacy skills.
I’ve contacted an author. Now what?
Disclaimer: The Patron of Reading initiative is not a registered charity or affiliated to any particular organisation. The movement has grown organically and is without budget or sponsorship. There is no registration fee required to become a Patron of Reading school. Please be wary of any organisations offering to find a patron and charging for the service.