Kyra Kane, a Year 13 student at Inscape House School, has been named one of just seven Secondary School Finalists in the Pupil Library Assistant Awards (PLAA) 2026.
The national award recognises the outstanding contribution pupils make to their school libraries, celebrating the skills they develop and the impact they have both within and beyond their school communities. For Kyra, who has been a Pupil Library Assistant for the past year and a half, the recognition reflects her dedication, creativity and resilience.
Kyra gives up every lunchtime to support the library, leading Upper School and Post-16 Book Club on Mondays, helping to run Middle School Book Club on Tuesdays, and spending the rest of the week cataloguing books, creating eye-catching displays, planning events and ensuring the library management system is accurate. She also designs and produces posters to promote library activities and is known for seeing projects through from start to finish.
School librarian Jenna described Kyra as “such an important part of our library team”.
“She is always enthusiastic about supporting the library in any way that she can, even if this means stepping out of her comfort zone,” she said. “Kyra is kind, warm and inviting with all our library users and she generously gives up all her lunchtimes to help. She is professional, diligent and can be trusted to work independently, always keeping the mission of our library at the heart of what she does.”
As a specialist school for young people with a diagnosis of autism, inclusion is central to life at Inscape House School, and Kyra plays an active role in ensuring the library meets students’ needs. She regularly suggests ways to improve accessibility, such as providing fidgets and visual supports. Being dyslexic herself, she is passionate about ensuring a strong selection of dyslexia-friendly texts is available. As a member of the school council, she also advocates for positive change and promotes the value of the library among her peers.
Headteacher Hannah praised Kyra’s maturity and impact. “Kyra embodies all the qualities we wish to see in a role model,” she said. “She is generous with her time and approaches every task with professionalism, creativity and admirable attention to detail. She consistently steps beyond her comfort zone to support others, showing courage and kindness. Her contribution has been nothing short of transformational for our school.”
Kyra’s achievements are particularly inspiring given the personal challenges she has overcome, including a difficult childhood and time in care. She has found strength and stability in the library, using the opportunities it offers to grow in confidence and become a positive role model for others.
“I come out of my comfort zone quite a lot to help in the library,” Kyra said. “I feel extremely excited and enormously proud that my work has been noticed. Libraries are especially important for me and other students at Inscape because they open the door to opportunities we may not have had. They help build confidence, improve knowledge of the world and encourage us to connect with others. I love spending my break times in the library.”
Looking ahead, Kyra is developing a new initiative to increase reading for pleasure, including a lunchtime Comic Club and sensory story time for younger pupils, alongside plans to introduce more tactile and sensory books.
To recognise her outstanding achievement, Tom Morrison, Member of Parliament for Cheadle, will visit the school on 6 March to personally congratulate Kyra on her success.
The overall winner of the Pupil Library Assistant Awards 2026 will be announced next month.
