Scots writers are expelled from schools in education shake-up

Published on Sunday 29 March 2009 23:30

CLASSIC works by Scottish literary giants, including Robert Burns, have been banned from schools in England.

Under new guidelines for the GCSE qualifications, pupils in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, will study authors from their own nations.

The move will mean pupils will never have to read works by great Scottish writers, including Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

According to the new guidelines for English, pupils in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, must read at least one text by a native author.

The English Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, which has drawn up the specifications for the GCSE set to be taught from September 2010, said Scottish authors were not required reading because they wanted students to read works from their own nation state.

But critics argued there was no need to break down British literary heritage into nationalities, with the risk of pupils being denied the chance to read classics including Treasure Island, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and Tam O'Shanter.

Liz Smith, the Scottish Tories education spokeswoman said: "I am disappointed and slightly surprised by this decision."

Nick Seaton, of the Campaign for Real Education, said: "It is ridiculous that we are ignoring the heritage of British authors in favour of separate states."