1. “Do we really need an English Literature exam at all?”
I then moved to another boarding school where two successive,
enlightened heads of department had decided that we were only
going to offer English GCSE and not English literature, still with
the guiding principle that the best way to teach our beautiful
language was through literature. We taught what suited our
classes, so I could pick Measure for Measure as an interesting
comparison to Romeo and Juliet, the GCSE English text, rather
than being confined by the play set by the board.
For nearly a decade, I taught literature without ever having to
prepare the pupils for an exam. The result? I hope young people
who had experienced a little of the breadth of English literature
and a glimpse of writing from other cultures. I know that a few
were inspired and I also witnessed a series of outstanding A level
students on the back of their experience.
I understand how privileged I was to be in schools which had good
resources. This is less the case in maintained schools, although
technology makes variety now more accessible. I am not advocating
a return to 100 per cent coursework but I do want to resist loudly
Gove’s canon.
In many senses, I join the real specialists, the writers and poets
who have voiced their dismay at the removal of literature from
GCSE English, fearing that many will never sit in awe at the feet of
our greatest writers.
I want to join them in heralding the inspirational, transformational
power of the arts. Yet in doing so I also want to make the radical
suggestion that this change could provide opportunity. Perhaps we
should not bother to offer the new exam. Go and teach literature
and let it do its work in its own terms.”
Blog started by: TES_opinion 8-11-2013 • 16:13
Martin Reader, headmaster, Wellington School, Somerset, writes:
“Following Mr Gove’s penchant for historical inspiration for
exam change, my instant response was to glimpse rosily back to
my first forays into English teaching in 1991. I was a freshish-
faced ‘unqualified’ teacher, coming straight from Oxford with
two English degrees. A former grammar school boy, I was
starting work in an independent boarding school.
But oh the joy of those early days in the classroom and what
wonderful freedoms: GCSE dual award English and English
literature was 100 per cent coursework! In my first two years,
I taught Beowulf, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Return of the
Native, 1984, Njal’s Saga, Silas Marner, Caucasian Chalk
Circle. Yes, we were allowed to teach literature in translation.
We studied poems by Blake, Marvell, Donne, Herbert, Browning,
Armitage, Rosen, Duffy, Fanthorpe amongst others.
There was also the radical suggestion that a pupil had to write
a critical essay on a novel or a play of their choice! The variety
of texts they chose was remarkable, allowing for genuine
differentiated learning.
I thought it quite a good diet; though I will not pretend that all
my pupils enjoyed every moment. Then again, if a text was not
working, I did not have to ‘do it’ to death covering every
possible question for an exam. I could complete a task and try
something else. And I had the time to teach them how to write.

2. My View
I disagree whole-heartedly with Gove’s
changes to the National Curriculum.
Rather than making it inclusive he is setting
out to exclude some of the more vulnerable
children in society. Again we will return to the
days where one gender out-performs another
because they are ‘good at taking exams.’
We are not teaching our children to enjoy
books. We are teaching them how to pass
exams.
They will start their lives knowing what they
need to do to sit an exam, but will they really
have engaged fully with the text? Will they
ever know the enjoyment of reading a novel
for pleasure?
In days gone by pupils could choose their own
novels to work on.
Now Gove is tightening the vice on an already
struggling English curriculum. His latest
directive is to take classics like ‘Of Mice and
Men’ and ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ of the
curriculum in favour of English 19th Century
classics.
I don’t know about anyone else, but as a
teenager, I was turned off by the classics and
favoured more varied novels (and I love
reading!)
What is does show is how out of touch Gove is
with society. Racism is still prevalent in our
society just as inequality for disabled people –
themes that these two redundant classics
cover.
I know I would prefer to teach my pupils
novels which have relevance to the world they
live in. You will find children will be more
willing to read if they can link it to their own
lives.