Some schools have removed David Walliams’ books from their libraries, prompting school leaders to seek national guidance as headteachers and councils take different approaches to the bestselling author’s work.
The decisions follow allegations of sexual misconduct and abuses of power published by ITV News and the Guardian on November 10. Walliams denies the allegations, including criminal wrongdoing, and has said he is “not a sexual predator” and has not “broken the law.”
The immediate question for schools is what to make available to children while allegations against a familiar author are being discussed publicly. There is no uniform response across the institutions cited in the BBC’s November 12 report: some have withdrawn titles, while others continue to offer them to readers.
School leaders ask for national guidance on Walliams’ books
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told BBC Breakfast that some members had already decided to take the books off their shelves. He urged the government to provide national guidance rather than leaving individual headteachers to reach different decisions without a shared framework.
“Head teachers are already making difficult decisions about whether or not these books should remain on the bookshelves of libraries at the moment,” he said.
The Independent reported that the union intended to raise the issue with the Department for Education at a meeting on Friday. The BBC said the department had been asked for comment; its report did not include a response.
Darren Morgan, headteacher of Kings Road Primary School in Manchester, told the BBC he had removed Walliams’ publications. He acknowledged that the stories had helped encourage reading but said the allegations made keeping them on the shelves difficult.
Steve Chalke, head of Oasis Academies, which runs more than 50 schools, raised a different concern: children may already have encountered the news and then see the author’s name or photograph in a school library. He said that could be distressing for some pupils.
Kent and Surrey keep titles available as Camden removes displays
Public libraries are making their own decisions through local councils, and those decisions do not necessarily determine what a school will do with its collection.
Kent County Council said it had no plans to remove Walliams’ books. Its starting point, a spokesperson told the BBC, was that books should be available unless their content is unlawful. The council said it did not manage collections through blanket bans on individual authors.
Separate reporting of Kent’s statement said its local authority-maintained schools would make their own decisions about library stock and learning resources, considering their policies, professional judgement and pupils’ needs.
Surrey County Council said demand for Walliams’ books had fallen significantly in recent years but that the titles were not illegal and remained available to borrow. Camden Council, by contrast, said it was putting the books in storage and removing them from display following the allegations.
Those distinctions matter: removing books from a display, withdrawing them from a school collection and prohibiting their sale or circulation nationally are not the same action. The reports describe local decisions, not a nationwide legal ban.
Authors and librarians weigh access against concerns for children
Author Chloe Combi argued that banning the books was not the most useful response. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, she said conversations between parents and children about the situation made more sense than allowing the subject to be avoided.
Combi also expressed sympathy for schools and bookshops making individual decisions to withdraw the author’s work. Her position highlighted the tension between limiting an author’s visibility and helping children understand why an adult they recognise is in the news.
Librarians’ body CILIP described challenges to books and other resources as potentially complex and stressful for staff. Meanwhile, Waterstones, TG Jones and The Works said they would no longer sell Walliams’ books, according to the BBC. Retailers’ stocking choices are separate from councils’ lending policies.
What the investigation alleges and how Walliams responded
ITV News’ account of its joint investigation describes allegations from women who say Walliams used his fame to pursue teenagers and young women for sexual purposes. The investigation also reports allegations of workplace misconduct.
Walliams denies grooming, sexual misconduct and criminal activity. He rejects claims that he targeted young women or used his celebrity status to manipulate them into sexual relationships. The allegations should not be presented as findings of guilt.
Walliams has sold more than 50 million books, including Gangsta Granny and Billionaire Boy, the BBC reported. That reach explains why the decisions extend beyond the book trade into education and public-library services in the United Kingdom. For now, the central policy question remains whether national advice will help schools navigate those choices more consistently.
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