The government is being urged to commit to diversifying the English literature curriculum in an open letter from Penguin Random House, co-signed by authors and publishers from across the industry.

The letter was sent to Professor Becky Francis, who is running the Curriculum and Assessment Review, and minister for education and minister for women and equalities Bridget Phillipson.

The letter, sent earlier this week, has already accumulated 188 signatures, with names including Tom Fletcher, George the Poet, Dawn French, Stephen Fry, Lee Child, Jackie Kay, Afua Hirsch, Nikesh Shukla, Pat Barker, Terry Deary, George Monbiot, Marian Keyes, Ali Smith, Zeinab Badawi, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Malorie Blackman, Lisa Jewell and James Patterson.

PRH, the National Literary Trust, Publishers Association, Hachette Education, OCR and Pearson are also among some of the organisations who have signed.

The signatories commit to sharing the Review’s goal that the nation’s students deserve “a curriculum that reflects the issues and diversities of our society, ensuring all children and young people are represented.” The letter comments that there is a first-hand understanding of the urgent need for the English Literature curriculum to better meet students’ needs.

Recent National Literacy Trust research (Nov, 2024) reported that children’s reading for enjoyment is at its lowest levels since records began in 2005. Just 1 in 3 (34.6%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 said that they enjoyed reading in their free time in 2024. Reading enjoyment levels have decreased by 8.8 percentage points over the past year alone.

This reading for pleasure crisis is directly connected to the significant decline in the number of students selecting A-Level English Literature from 79,000 in 2016 to 54,000 in 2023.

The letter continues: "We also know that the current English Literature curriculum is systematically failing to represent the diversity of our society in terms of the authors, stories and characters that are taught. Despite 37% of England’s school population identifying as Black, Asian or minority ethnic, 98.5% of English Literature GCSE students do not study a text by a writer of colour. This sends powerful messages to young learners about whose lives and stories are valued, and results in many young people disengaging from the subject."

The letter ties in with the Lit in Colour initiative, of which PRH is a founding partner. The initiative works with schools and exam boards to "put writers of colour on the curriculum and to dismantle the barriers teachers believe are in place that stops them teaching these texts effectively". This evidence base from the Lit in Colour pilot proves the significant impact that studying a more diverse and representative range of books has on students’ experience of English and their engagement in the subject.

The research shows that studying texts by writers of colour at GCSE English Literature can increase students’ empathy, understanding of others, engagement in class, and enjoyment of reading. Teachers also report an anecdotal connection between students feeling English Literature classes are more relevant to them with improved attendance and punctuality at school.

These benefits apply to all students – not just students of colour. Whilst the classics will always have a vital role in the curriculum, teaching a more representative range of literature has the powerful ability to offer windows into other perspectives and ensure all students feel included and visible in the books they read.

The letter highlights the belief that this change starts in schools. The signatories ask that the Review Panel’s recommendations work to remove the barriers that prevent books by writers of colour from being taught in primary and secondary schools. They also ask that teachers are provided with the necessary support to increase their confidence and subject knowledge. Only when this is achieved can we successfully establish a broad and inclusive curriculum for our students.

Read the letter and show your support by signing the letter alongside LoveReading4Kids.