1991: the teaching of English in England

Abstract

Abstract The teaching of English in England is generally viewed as an indicator of the standards of teaching and learning in schools. Because of anxieties about ‘standards’, three recent government reports — Bullock, Kingman and Cox — have addressed the problem of teaching English to the school population. Their proposals, and the responses they have provoked, have exposed the conflicts and tensions within the community of English scholars about the nature of their discipline, its aspirations and limitations. None of this, however, is new. Since English emerged as a school and university subject the justification for its place has rested upon different priorities. The most recent reports emphasise pupils’ linguistic competence but the earlier domination of literary values remains a powerful force in schools and universities. Seventy years ago the Newbolt Report, The Teaching of English in England, originated from government anxieties about the high level of illiteracy revealed during the First World War. ...