Pupils at Alleyn’s School in Dulwich, south London, told to study books by writers of colour as well as female and LGBTQ+ authors
The English curriculum at a leading London private school has been overhauled to include queer readings of texts and to challenge the “pale, male and stale” syllabus.
Pupils at the £25,000-a-year Alleyn’s School in Dulwich, south London, whose alumni include Jude Law, Florence Welch and CS Forester, now study books by a broader range of authors, including the first text by a non-binary writer on the A-level curriculum.
Students must choose one coursework text by a writer of colour for A-Level and are encouraged to study queer interpretations of texts including Dracula.
The changes were made to challenge “white-centric, patriarchal and cis-gender ideologies”, said Alex Smith, the school’s head of English.