English holds a unique place in the school curriculum, able to simultaneously open the minds of young people to powerful ideas, voices and perspectives and at the same time develop the core literacy skills that are vital to learners’ ability to make progress in other subjects and in their lives.

For some time now though, uptake of the subject at A-Level has been in ongoing decline, falling from just over 42,000 candidates in 2017 to 33,000 in 2022. Whilst we should not rush to catastrophise these figures, they do however pose serious questions for the English subject community to grapple with: how can we help young people connect with the subject and see its relevance and benefits to their lives?

The three Rs – reading, writing and arithmetic – have often been regarded as the cornerstone of a sound and rigorous education. As we look to the future of English specifically, perhaps it is time to add three new Rs to the curriculum: realness, relevance and relatability.

Making English real

“Education is intrinsically a social good on its own and supports the development of a spirit of enquiry, a lifelong joy of knowledge for knowledge’s sake, alongside enabling young people to realise their talents and passions through careers. However, we must acknowledge a key role of the education system is adequately preparing them for the world of work.”

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI), 2019

There has been much debate about the role and purpose of English: is it to ignite a love and passion for literature and reading? To shape empathetic, compassionate individuals through exposure to narratives that broaden their horizons? To develop the literacy and communication skills learners need to thrive and succeed in ongoing education and employment? There are rarely simple answers to complex questions like this and we should be wary of setting up false dichotomies – English should set out to do all of these things if it is to fully serve the needs of today’s learners.

The role that the English curriculum plays in preparing students for the world of work is one that is arguably deserving of more careful consideration, with employer bodies frequently voicing their frustration at how unprepared many young people are for employment when it comes to basic literacy and communication skills. What might an English curriculum look like that more intentionally develops real-world skills and tasks that better prepare learners for the world of work – and would such an approach to English help those learners begin to see the value of English to making progress in their lives?

In Pearson’s GCSE English Language 2.0 qualification, launched in April 2021, a strong emphasis on the real-world skills English offers is giving learners an enhanced opportunity to focus on applicable life skills embedded in relatable, engaging content. Encompassing fiction and non-fiction, skills-based writing tasks and contemporary texts, it motivates learners to look beyond the classroom in English lessons and draw direct links between their studies and future careers. Alongside our 2015 GCSE English Language, we are providing teachers and learners with a valuable choice in the route they take through GCSE English in recognition that a one-size-fits-all approach can leave some learners disengaged in this most important of curriculum subjects.

Making English relevant

It perhaps seems extraordinary that, given how language can shape our identity and influence others, many learners struggle to see the relevance of English to their lives. In the reforms to KS4 in 2015, valuable areas of the subject were undoubtedly sidelined and in doing so opportunities to switch students on to their experience of English, and GCSE English in particular, have been lost.

There is so much within the discipline of English that will surely resonate with our young people – whether that be socio-linguistics and the role language plays in constructing identity, and the lively discussions this can spark around who we are, how we communicate and how this varies depending on context. Or how children acquire language in the first place, the fascinating story of language change over time, and of course how language is used to establish and maintain power.

As well as these rich areas of subject content, an English curriculum of the future might more obviously pay attention to how textual form has evolved over time and the role that digital, multi-modal texts play in our world. So many young people are first and foremost consumers of digital texts – it is how they interact with, find information from and are influenced by the world. As we think about what a future-facing English curriculum might look like, a more central role for digital texts – exploration of their form, purpose and effect – in our curriculum and qualifications would go some way to addressing the question of relevance in English.

Making English relatable

“If a student cannot relate new information to his own experiences, or connect the new material to a familiar concept, he may perceive the new information as frustrating, difficult or dismiss it completely, believing it to be in conflict with his already tenuous understanding of the world.”

Dr Matthew Lynch, The Edvocate

We know, both through our research at Pearson, and in our work with schools, that some students find it more difficult to engage with and relate to English than others – those from disadvantaged areas, those with SEND or additional needs, and Black, Asian or minority ethnic students, are just three of these groups. Underlying this problem is a question of how relatable the subject can feel, and in turn how represented learners feel by the English curriculum and the writers, texts and characters they encounter.

Part of this work involves looking at the role models we present in the English curriculum: are these people that students can relate to? Which members of your community are not being included? Who is unable to see themselves, and/or have a positive view reflected back? At present, 35% of teachers would like more diverse role models in English. This is something we at Pearson have worked to directly address through our introduction of diverse texts into our qualifications in addition to the existing diet of the literary canon, as well as in our pioneering Lit in Colour programme. This currently supports 24,000 students in over 200 schools to access a range of texts by writers of colour, in response to findings that fewer than 1% of all students at GCSE study a book by these authors.

Consider the different ways narratives might be perceived. Is your curriculum empowering learners, alienating them, or showing them skewed reflections of people “like them” which could be disengaging? Ask learners about what they would like to see, read and study in lessons, and draw on available resources to help support these requests.

Don’t feel that discussions need to wait until Key Stage 4 either. The earlier we can plant the seeds for inclusive, relatable study, the earlier we instil pupils’ ability to connect, question and interact with the resources they are given. Again, the long-term benefits of those lessons are clear.

To quote a teacher who spoke to Pearson about the power of English: “Especially in a nation as diverse as the UK, we really should be looking at the whole range of human experience.” When it comes to considering the curriculum, it is up to the teaching profession to ensure that range of human experience encompasses all learners, all life stages, and all routes that can equip students with the tools they need to flourish.