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


Fewer than 1% 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.

Read the research

10 minute read

Learn more
'I'm a teacher' text, with illustration of books and an apple
'I'm a student' text, with illustration of young person
'I'm a parent/supporter' text, with illustration of stars coming out of a book

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more