UK schools are actively debating whether to withdraw David Walliams' catalog following reports by ITV News and The Guardian, which the author strongly denies. School leaders and authors remain split on whether pulling titles protects children or sidesteps valuable discussions, prompting head teachers to request central government intervention. Public library responses also remain fragmented across local councils, with Camden Council placing his titles into storage while others refuse blanket bans. This widespread institutional reassessment follows publisher HarperCollins severing its ties with the author in September.
Key points
The Association of School and College Leaders wants national government guidance to resol…: The Association of School and College Leaders wants national government guidance to resolve inconsistent policies across schools.
Public library systems hold diverging policies, with some councils maintaining stock of l…: Public library systems hold diverging policies, with some councils maintaining stock of lawful material while others store it away.
David Walliams has publicly denied all allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of powe…: David Walliams has publicly denied all allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of power, maintaining he broke no laws.
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Some schools have removed David Walliams books from their libraries following the publication of allegations against the best-selling children's author and comedian.
"Head teachers are already making difficult decisions about whether or not these books should remain on the bookshelves of libraries at the moment," said Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.
"I'm aware from several of our members that they've already taken the decision to take them off their shelves."
Walliams sold more than 50 million copies of books including Gangsta Granny and Billionaire Boy. He has denied allegations of sexual misconduct and abuses of power.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Mr Di'Iasio urged the government to give schools national guidance, so they are "not leaving this open to one or two head teachers making one decision and others making a different one".
Darren Morgan, head of Kings Road Primary School in Manchester, told the programme that he has taken the decision to remove Walliams' publications.
The stories have been useful to promote reading, but "when there are these allegations it's really…
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