Our Lit in Colour partnership
Together with Penguin Random House UK and The Runnymede Trust, we want to highlight the importance of a diverse English Literature curriculum.
It's essential that students across the UK are given access to books by Black, Asian and minority ethnic writers and those from a range of backgrounds, to ensure a better reflection of contemporary culture and society, and to provide students with both experiences beyond their own and experiences that may resonate with them.
To help in achieving this mission, we've introduced the Lit in Colour Pioneers programme - and we've also developed a new unseen text anthology for those studying our Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9–1) English Language 2.0 qualification.
What are the texts?
Discover the qualifications and set texts in our Lit in Colour qualifications guide, or visit our qualifications website to find out more about the set texts on our Pearson Edexcel GCSE and A level English Literature qualifications.
Find out what our 2021 pioneers have to say...
Watch our case study videos to find out more about our diverse set text options and the Lit in Colour experience.
Westonbirt School
Hear from Tabatha Sheehan, Head of English at Westonbirt School, about her experience as a Lit in Colour Pioneer and how the programme helps form a foundation for diversity and inclusion in English lessons.
Turning House School
Hear from the students at Turning House School and see firsthand the impact that can be made by taking a more inclusive approach to the study of English Literature.
More about Lit in Colour
Every young person deserves an educational experience that more fully reflects Britain’s past and the lives of its young people today. Penguin and The Runnymede Trust found that fewer than 1% of students in England study a book by a writer of colour at GCSE. This compares to 34.4% of school-age students who identify as Black, Asian or minority ethnic.
In recent research by the National Literacy Trust, 32.7% of children and young people in the UK aged 9 to 18 said that they don't see themselves in what they read, and 39.8% would like more books with characters who are similar to them.
By joining forces with Penguin and The Runnymede Trust, we hope to encourage schools to make the switch to a more diverse English Literature curriculum.
Find out more about Lit in Colour on the Penguin website
Read the National Literacy Trust research
What does diversity mean and why is it important?
Watch our video to find out what teachers and students say!
New to Pearson Edexcel qualifications?
If you'd like to know more about how we can support you in switching to our Pearson Edexcel English Literature qualifications, visit our website:
Our Lit in Colour Pioneers programme is supported by...





