‘Read-in’ at Department for Education against Gove’s curriculum changes

Date: Tomorrow (Friday 30 May)

Time: 4pm

Location: Department for Education, Sanctuary Buildings, 20 Great Smith St, London SW1P 3BT

Education activists are to hold a ‘read-in’ at the Department for Education, where they will be reading books Michael Gove plans to remove from the curriculum such as Of Mice and Men, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Crucible.

Rachel Brooks, a member of Left Unity and teacher in East London who helped initiate the protest, said:

“The changes to the curriculum are a worrying sign that the Tories want a more narrow teaching agenda in our schools. This is despite the fact that these pieces of literature continue to amaze and inspire young people.

“In an astonishing act of arrogance, Michael Gove is downgrading their importance from the curriculum, simply because they do not form part of the literary canon that he has decided young people must read.”

The action has been called by education activists in new left wing party Left Unity, together with protest group South London Defend Education.

They are inviting people to come with copies of the books and share their stories of teaching and reading these works.

Student Nathan Rogers added: “I am taking part in this demonstration with other student activists from South London Defend Education because Gove’s attempts to narrow the GCSE curriculum are an attack on a comprehensive and fulfilling education.”

For more information contact press@leftunity.org

Notes for editors

1. Left Unity is the new party of the left in Britain. Founded in November 2013, it already has over 2,000 members and 50 branches across the country.

2. The government’s announcement that post-1914 literature studied for GCSE English Literature must be from the British Isles means opportunities to study modern American classics such as John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible will be significantly reduced.