Home          Read the report          About Lit in Colour          Teachers          Students          Parents and supporters

Only 1.5% of students at GCSE study a book by a writer of colour

Books create belonging. They help us see each other and understand one another. They shine a light on the world.

It’s vital that the books we read in our formative years reflect the rich diversity of the society we live in.

That’s why we at Penguin have joined forces with The Runnymede Trust to explore how to support schools to make the teaching and learning of English literature more inclusive. We want to increase students’ access to more books by writers of colour.

To help do this, we’ve commissioned ground-breaking research to shine a light on barriers preventing more books by Black, Asian and minority ethnic writers being taught in the classroom and to make recommendations for what needs to change.

Watch our Lit in Colour Pioneers case studies