By Editor Eleanor Harding
The head of Labour’s curriculum review has said teachers may in future be ‘pushed’ to teach diverse texts rather than old favourites such as An Inspector Calls.
Professor Becky Francis said the classic English play, first performed in 1945, is so widely taught for English Literature GCSE because it is ‘tried and tested’.
She said a ‘frequent issue’ is getting teachers to branch out because lessons on the older, well-known texts are ‘easier on the ground to replicate’.
The ‘drawing room’ play, by J.B. Priestley, has been a go-to text for teachers for decades and is loved for its critique of Edwardian English society.
However, it has fallen foul of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) campaigners who want teenagers to study more texts by ethic minority authors.
Professor Francis is chairing Labour’s curriculum review, and aims to publish her full report in the autumn.
Speaking at the Wellington College Festival of Education in Berkshire, she said ‘challenging discrimination’ is ‘very important’ to the review panel.
She said: ‘It’s part of our terms of reference to ensure that every young person can see themselves within the curriculum.
‘That, of course, includes ethnic diversity, but also gender, disability, and, of course, social class as well, and we take that very seriously.
‘The issue is about representation. That’s important for curriculum efficacy, but also receiving engagement.’
She said part of the panel’s discussions are about whether to ‘signal’ to texts that are already in the curriculum.
She said exam boards are able to set diverse texts, but this sometimes does not filter down into schools choosing those ones to teach.
Schools have the freedom to select which exam board they use, and within that board, which texts to be examined on.
Professor Francis said: ‘What I’m thinking about… is a frequent issue that we hear about in English literature around An Inspector Calls.
‘Actually, in the present English curriculum, what we’ve heard is it’s perfectly possible, from an exam board perspective, to be able to introduce more diverse texts, but often, because certain texts are so tried and tested, it’s easiest on the ground to just replicate them, and carrying on doing same thing.’
She joked that a ‘straw poll’ may show the majority of schools still teach An Inspector Calls.
‘So for us, it’s trying to find what is the responsibility of different agencies in this,’ she said.
‘And then being able to think, what is it that we want to achieve in terms of signalling or pushing particular behaviours on ground.’
Professor Francis was responding to an audience comment from representatives of Advocacy Academy, a grassroots organisation in Brixton, South London which has written to her regarding the review.
The group suggested ‘anti-racist’ materials could be embedded in the curriculum and said it was unfair that only white pupils’ ancestors’ achievements were ‘celebrated’ in schools.
Professor Francis’ comments come amid campaigns to ‘decolonise the curriculum’ amid concerns that ethnic minority children do not feel included at school.
The Department for Education has been contacted for comment.