Powell told to revamp 'dispiritingly dull' English curriculum

Education secretary Lucy Powell has been urged to “look again” at the ongoing review of the English curriculum to ensure the opportunity it affords for change is “not wasted”.

Commons Education Select Committee chair Helen Hayes has written a letter “with urgency” to the education secretary following MPs’ inquiry into reading for pleasure.

Ms Hayes’ letter warns that the evidence received by her committee was “deeply concerning”.

Fostering a love of reading

She writes that the committee “heard that the secondary English curriculum is ‘dispiritingly dull’” and that pupils’ experience is often limited to “short, exam-length texts which do little to foster a love of reading”.

Her letter highlights evidence from Professor Robert Eaglestone, policy lead at the English Association, in which he said that English was being taught “with a pedagogy that is inimical to reading for pleasure” and argued that pupil choice, personal response and dialogue had “taken a back seat to things like context and knowing the right answers”.

Ms Hayes’ letter also highlights a steep decline in students choosing to study English literature at A level.

She adds: “Our report recommended that the department ensure that its work on developing the new English curriculum is considered through the lens of reading for pleasure and encouraging further study and that it take steps to revise the GCSE English literature curriculum to improve the diversity and range of texts that pupils study.”

Warning against ‘wasted’ opportunity

The letter also states: “We understand that this work will be concluding shortly and that the new curriculum is to be published in spring 2027. The department’s work to develop the new curriculum represents a vital opportunity to get this right and revitalise the study of English for the next generations of students.

“We urge you to look again at this issue and ensure that this opportunity is not wasted.”

The Department for Education commissioned a curriculum and assessment review, which published its recommendations last November.

In response, the government said that it aims to publish a final revised national curriculum by spring 2027. The new curriculum is then set to be implemented in full from September 2028.

At the start of this year, it published a full list of drafters who were helping to rework the curriculum.

However, there has since been a new government, with the arrival of Andy Burnham as prime minister and Ms Powell as education secretary.

A DfE spokesperson said: “The National Year of Reading has shown the power of reading for pleasure. Reading opens up new worlds for children, fuels imagination, and supports their development both in school and beyond.

“We want every young person to develop a lifelong love of reading. Schools already have the freedom to choose the texts that best engage their pupils, and through our curriculum review we are considering the range and diversity of books studied at secondary school, while retaining the influential works that have shaped our literary heritage.”