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're developing a new unseen text anthology for those studying our Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9–1) English Language 2.0 qualification.
What is the Lit in Colour Pioneers programme?
The application window for our Lit in Colour Pioneers programme is now closed. Successful applicants have now been contacted.
Over 100 secondary schools and colleges are taking part in our first-ever Lit in Colour Pioneers programme, receiving free access to:
- copies of the chosen set texts for every student in the relevant year group, donated by Penguin
- a programme of work and series of free resources including CPD training webinars for teachers and school librarians, plus qualification support and training where required
- support programmes of work for each set text including creative content from authors plus videos and a range of resources to support the specification
- a Lit in Colour mini library including 300 free Penguin books by Black, Asian and minority ethnic writers designed for all age groups, together with colourful posters and artwork
- a student ambassador programme.
Find out more about our diverse range of 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.
Watch our case study videos with schools from Russell Education Trust to find out more about Boys Don't Cry and our Belonging Poetry Anthology.
Coming soon: Unseen Text Anthology for GCSE English Language 2.0
As part of students’ preparation for GCSE (9–1) English Language 2.0, we are developing a new Unseen Text Anthology with Penguin Random House UK and The Runnymede Trust which will:
• include a range of fiction and non-fiction extracts from writing by British writers and writers from around the world
• focus on contemporary writing, featuring characters and writers from a wide range of backgrounds, ethnicities, genders and sexualities
• include thematically paired texts to mirror the assessment framework.
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 Balck, 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: