Eduqas partners with Lit in Colour to support inclusive teaching

We are delighted to announce that we have partnered with Lit in Colour to support schools and colleges in the delivery of new texts for our GCSE English Literature specification. 

This new partnership will support our centres to make the teaching and learning of English literature more inclusive. 

Commenting on this new partnership is our GCSE English Literature Subject Officer, Julia Harrison-Pickard: “Lit in Colour has been at the forefront in delivering exemplary support and guidance to schools and colleges across the UK. We are proud to partner with them to offer new opportunities to our schools and colleges to elevate their teaching of these groundbreaking texts. 

As a leading awarding body for English, we understand the importance of positive representation and have taken active steps to introduce texts that reflect and celebrate diversity. We are confident that this new partnership will enable our centres to deliver these texts with confidence.” 

Dr Zaahida Nabagereka, Senior Social Impact Manager (Lit in Colour), Penguin Books, “We are genuinely thrilled to be working with Eduqas to support their teachers and students to access more books by writers of colour in English Literature. ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ and ‘Leave Taking’ are brilliant texts that will bring exciting discussions into the classroom and show students a different side of what English Literature is.” 

Dr Lesley Nelson-Addy, Education Manager, Runnymede Trust, “We are really looking forward to supporting Eduqas and their schools, by equipping them with knowledge and tools to learn and teach ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ and ‘Leave Taking' with confidence. Another benefit of the partnership is being able to offer books beyond the GCSE specifications to endorse reading for pleasure. Lit in Colour fundamentally thrives on collaboration, and we trust that our partnership with Eduqas will be fruitful for teachers and students." 

 

 

Supporting diversity in education - Lit in Colour

The Lit in Colour campaign is a long term social impact programme from Penguin Books, launched in partnership with racial equality think tank The Runnymede Trust in 2020. Lit in Colour aims to support UK schools to make the teaching and learning of English literature more inclusive of writers of colour, and connect students with more by writers of colour for reading for pleasure. 

 

 

Enhancing our GCSE English Literature texts

We recently announced the introduction of Winsome Pinnock’s Leave Taking and Malorie Blackman’s Boys Don't Cry, to the Post 1914 Prose and Drama section of our GCSE English Literature specification. Assessment for these texts will begin from summer 2025: 

  • Boys Don't Cry, is a fresh and engaging novel that has positive representations of black and LGBTQ+ characters. Malorie Blackman, former Children's Laureate, is acknowledged as one of today's most imaginative and convincing writers for young readers.

  • Leave Taking, explores the dislocated identity of black British immigrants. It has been described by The Guardian as an 'insightful and pioneering portrayal of the lives of black Britons'. 

To complement our new set texts, we have recently updated our Poetry Anthology, which features a broader spectrum of cultural perspectives. Further information is available here. 

 

 

Lit in Colour - supporting you in delivering these texts

Lit in Colour has proposed a comprehensive package of support to our schools and colleges, which includes: 

  • FREE Professional learning events which focus on race and representation in both novels

  • Online author enrichment events  

  • Free copies of the new set texts (you will be able to request amount needed for cohort)  

  • A 'reading for pleasure' library books donation (set amount of 250 - 300 books) 

 

 

Will you be delivering this text?

We would be interested to know if you are currently/interested in delivering these texts in your classroom. To register your interest/intention, please complete the following survey. 

The survey will close: 22/11/2024. 

Please note, your data will be shared with Lit in Colour as this will help them produce a tailored support package for our centres.  

 

 

Contact the team

If you have any further queries, please contact our GCSE English Literature Team today: gcseenglish@eduqas.co.uk or 029 2240 4290.