Exam boards should ensure that at least a quarter of authors in their GCSE English literature specifications are from ethnic minorities, according to a new report.

Teach First has launched a new campaign today calling for a more inclusive education system.

In a new report, it claims that the largest exam board in the country, AQA, does not feature a single book by a black author in its GCSE English literature specifications.

In response, AQA has said that it would be wrong to suggest that its “set texts don’t feature any black authors - or that, in a normal year, students might not study any BAME writers”.

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The exam board has also said that it is reviewing the diversity of its GCSE English literature qualification.

Studying more BAME authors in English literature GCSE

The Teach First report includes key recommendations to make education and assessment more inclusive.

This includes ensuring that at least a quarter of authors in GCSE English literature exam board specifications are from an ethnic minority and that a mix of ethnicities are represented. The report says this will give schools “flexibility to represent more varied experiences and demonstrate that literary excellence is not limited to white authors”.

Teach First is also calling for extra funding to train and support teachers to appropriately explore the issue of racism with their pupils.

And it calls for a fund for schools to buy books by ethnic minority authors, and suggests this could be achieved through a public and private sector partnership.

In its report released today, Missing pages: Increasing racial diversity in the literature we teach, Teach First says that the importance of pupils studying books by authors from different ethnic backgrounds is almost undisputed by teachers.

Jason Arthur, a Teach First trustee, said: “I left school without studying a single book by a black author. Many years on and in the wake of worldwide attention on the Black Lives Matters movement, it’s a tragedy that this is still the case for many young people today.

“Representation matters and the classroom is the perfect place to show children that people from all backgrounds deserve to tell and star in the stories our society celebrates. But instead we’re normalising marginalisation.  

“Many teachers, in spite of the system, include authors from a range of backgrounds in their lessons, but we need to get behind them to make this the norm, not an exception. It would help to not only unlock a love of literature in children - but also help to build a more cohesive society based on mutual respect and understanding.”

The report also includes the perspectives of ethnic minority teachers and leaders across the country.

Djamila Boothman, an English teacher and assistant headteacher at Woodside High School in North London, who is quoted in the report, said: “My catchphrase at school is ‘you cannot be what you cannot see’, and that wholeheartedly applies throughout all of education - from what you’re learning to who is teaching you.

“Changing the English curriculum to include more positive representations of all heritages would ensure that our young people are proud of where they come from and strengthen their relationships with other cultures. 

“We need our diverse communities to feel reflected in our curriculum and to be placed in well-deserved positions of authority so that we can challenge the existing position of privilege and lack of understanding that so much of our society holds.

“As one of only 10 per cent of teachers who identify as an ethnic minority, compared to the 26 per cent of pupils in England who do, I’ll continue to ensure that all of my students feel reflected in what I teach, feel proud of their heritages while understanding others, and never feel held back because of the colour of their skin.”

 An AQA spokesperson said: “We completely agree that students should learn about a diverse range of writers. We’re actually already reviewing equality, diversity and inclusion in our English literature GCSE and other qualifications to make sure they’re as representative as possible of modern Britain.

“However, it’s wrong to suggest that our set texts don’t feature any black authors - or that, in a normal year, students might not study any BAME writers.”