Eduqas and Lit in Colour’s social impact programme celebrates one year of collaboration by extending partnership

We are excited to announce that following a successful year of partnering with inclusivity champion Penguin Book’s Lit in Colour campaign, we are extending our collaboration for another year. Our joint initiative aims to encourage more schools and colleges to deliver texts by authors of colour, supporting greater representation in English Literature classrooms. 

Launched in 2024, the partnership was designed to help GCSE English Literature teachers deliver our set texts — Leave Taking by Winsome Pinnock and Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman — with confidence and cultural understanding. 

Schools and colleges taking part in the initiative received a bespoke package of free support, including training which focused on race and representation, complimentary copies of the set texts for the cohort, and a ‘reading for pleasure’ donation (of approximately 300 books) to promote wider engagement with literature by writers of colour. In total, 9,715 books, made up of Penguin and Nick Hern Books titles, were donated as part of the pilot. 

Julia Harrison-Pickard, our GCSE English Literature Subject Officer, reflected on the success of the collaboration: “We have been overwhelmed by the positive response to our partnership and the impact it has had on teaching these engaging texts. 

One highlight was a live session delivered by Malorie Blackman herself, where students across the country had the opportunity to hear directly from the author and ask her questions about her inspiration and craft. Alongside this, our teacher training sessions exploring race and representation have helped educators approach these works with increased confidence and understanding. 

Through our joint initiative, more than 2,800 students are now studying these texts — supporting our shared ambition to celebrate and reflect diversity in the classroom. 

We are delighted to continue working with Lit in Colour, who have led the way in providing outstanding support and guidance to schools and colleges nationwide. Building on the success of our first year, we look forward to expanding this partnership and offering even more opportunities for schools to engage with diverse literature.” 

Jodie Whitaker, Head of English at Applemore College, Southampton

Praising the positive impact the partnership has had in her classroom is Jodie Whitaker, Head of English at Applemore College, Southampton:  “The impact of the Eduqas and Lit in Colour programme on our students has been wonderfully immediate and enthusiastic. We've seen an incredibly positive response to the new texts, with Boys Don't Cry proving to be a particular favourite; I've had students telling me they've asked for it as a Christmas gift, and even parents have shared that they are now reading the book after hearing their children talk about it with such passion at home! Furthermore, the accompanying professional development has been invaluable. The Reading for Pleasure Professional Learning session provided practical support on how to effectively promote the book donation across our school and curriculum, while the Race and Representation Professional Learning offered essential, thoughtful guidance on navigating and exploring the range of lived experiences presented in the novel with our students.”

Commenting on the extension of the partnership is Zaahida Nabagereka, Senior Social Impact Manager, for Lit in Colour: “We are thrilled to be deepening our work with Eduqas and supporting their schools who are ready to teach one of the new set texts by authors of colour on their GCSE English Literature specification. Working together to provide teachers with practical support and resources is crucial to removing the barriers that ultimately stop students from accessing a broader range of texts and experiences. We hope to bring on even more schools this year and enable more students access to the benefits of studying an author of colour at GCSE”.