Bernardine Evaristo renews call to diversify school curriculum in England | Schools
Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo has called for renewed efforts to diversify school curricula in England, warning that young people are growing up in a society where “doors are closed” and the tide is turning against inclusion.
There has been progress in the diversity of texts offered in the GCSE English literature curriculum, but uptake in schools where GCSE students in England read books by black authors remains low, a report has found; This rate was 0.7% five years ago.
The report, compiled by campaign group Lit in Colour, says progress is so slow that, at the current rate of change, it would be 2046 before 10% of students would answer a question about a text by an author of color at English literature GCSE.
And it will take until 2115 for 38% of students to study a writer of color in GCSE English literature; This is a significant figure because, according to the latest figures from the Department for Education (DfE), 38% of students in English schools are from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Since Lit in Color launched its campaign to increase diversity in school curricula in England five years ago, the proportion of texts by non-white authors in GCSE English literature has increased from 12% to 36%.
In 2025, there were eight texts by diverse authors, mostly from Black and South Asian backgrounds, on the text lists identified by the exam board, but many teachers continue to offer texts such as JB Priestley’s An Inspector Calls due to familiarity, lack of resources to support the teaching of new texts and insufficient time for teaching.
Writing the foreword of the campaign five year progress reportEvaristo welcomed the progress but said it was even more important to ensure books by diverse authors were included in the curriculum as the concept of diversity was under attack.
Following the killing of George Floyd in the US and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the UK, Evaristo said “there was a visible desire across many institutions to explore some of the barriers that people of color have had to face”, including in the education sector.
He said: “Fast forward to 2025 and it looks like those doors are closing again and I worry that young people today are once again growing up in a society where attempts to be more equal are under threat and the tide is turning against inclusivity.
“The term ‘diversity’ itself is now viewed in some quarters as a dangerous concept, and any attempt to become a more progressive society is considered ‘woke.’ In this environment, the Light Up in Color campaign is even more important to ensure that books by authors of color are included in the curriculum.”
Led by Penguin Random House and the Runnymede Trust think tank on race equality and race relations, Lit in Colour is a partnership between educational and cultural organizations and the UK’s four exam boards.
A Department for Education spokesman said: “As part of the government’s response to the curriculum and its evaluation review, we will ensure that the curriculum includes classic English literature as well as offering teachers a wider choice of texts and authors.”
Meanwhile, Lee Child, author of the best-selling Jack Reacher thriller series, has been named as the first prison reading award winner. This role, which covers prisons in England and Wales, was created to highlight the importance of improving literacy among prisoners to help prevent reoffending.
Child plans to expand the literacy pilot program he is running at several prisons and will invite more writers to participate.
“This isn’t about being soft on crime, it’s about being smart,” he said. “Improving literacy is an evidence-based, practical approach that works. When people leave prison better equipped to read and learn, they are less likely to reoffend. This makes communities safer for everyone.”
The new annual challenge has been created as part of the National Year of Reading, a UK-wide campaign to promote reading among children and adults.
