School curriculum resources to include more diverse writers and music genres

There have been calls to decolonise and diversify the curriculum in schools for some time.

Andrea Levy, winner of the Orange prize for fiction for her book Small Island (PA) (PA Archive)

More diverse texts in English and a wide range of music genres will be included in curriculum resources for schools.

The Oak National Academy – an arm’s length body to help schools deliver curriculum content – has launched lesson resources for teachers which aim to represent the diversity of modern life.

The curriculum materials for English lessons feature contemporary black British writers Andrea Levy and Winsome Pinnock – alongside texts from the literary canon, such as Chaucer and Shakespeare.

Classroom resources for music cover rap and 90s grunge alongside Mozart and Beethoven, and for history there are resources for interpreting the British Empire.

There have been calls to decolonise and diversify the curriculum in schools for some time.

We have selected topics that, when taken together, give pupils a rich understanding of the world and allow them to participate as educated citizens in modern society

Matt Hood, chief executive of Oak National Academy

Research by Penguin and the Runnymede Trust – published in June 2021 – found fewer than 1% of candidates for GCSE English Literature answered a question on a novel by an author of colour in 2019.

A separate survey – published in January 2022 – found that the majority of teachers in England believed more diverse and representative texts on the English syllabus would be of most help to their pupils.

Matt Hood, chief executive of Oak National Academy, said: “I’m delighted that our new curriculum resources have gone live and look forward to feedback from schools and teachers.

“Our independent evaluation shows that seeing and discussing evidence-informed curriculum models is an important part of developing a teacher’s curriculum expertise.

“Having high quality resources alongside them reduces teacher workload, improves happiness and improves retention.

“We have paid particular attention to making sure that the curriculum represents the best of what has been thought, said, discovered, sung and danced.

“We have selected topics that, when taken together, give pupils a rich understanding of the world and allow them to participate as educated citizens in modern society.”

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “We recognise the work that has gone into developing these resources and the good intentions of Oak. However, the jury is still out on its usefulness.

“This is a body that is backed by a considerable amount of taxpayers’ money and there is a lot of concern in the sector about whether it will actually end up driving other providers out of the market and reducing diversity, despite reassurances to the contrary.

“In reality, many schools and trusts have developed their own curriculum resources for their contexts, and it is hard to see exactly where Oak fits in.

“Moreover, Oak won’t be enough to reduce the workload pressures that are driving people out of teaching. Only the government can do that by improving education funding, addressing teacher shortages, and reducing the punitive nature of inspections and performance tables.”