Northern Irish writers almost entirely absent from draft new Northern Ireland English curriculum

Statistical analysis of examples mentioned in the draft will provoke scrutiny, as will the prominent place of yet another English educationist within a curriculum reform process which has drawn heavily on the controversial legacy of our former schools minister, Sir Nick Gibb.

A newly-published draft national curriculum for English in Northern Ireland contains virtually no Northern Irish writers, with the place of an English educationist as its lead drafter also likely to come in for close scrutiny.

On a quick totting-up, only two of 78 authors mentioned in the curriculum document are of Northern Irish nationality, with the draft facing criticism on publication that Seamus Heaney is among the writers not to feature.

The fact that David Didau, the English education writer and consultant, said last week that he had served as “lead drafter” of the document will excite debate given that influence over the curriculum development process seems to have been loaded with figures from this side of the Irish Sea, most if not all of them sympathetic to the education reforms of the last Conservative government as championed by the long-serving schools minister, Sir Nick Gibb. 

Further evidence of England's current influence over Northern Irish education reform came with news today that Tom Bennett, who was appointed behaviour adviser here under the Conservatives, has been appointed by Northern Ireland's Department of Education to lead a review of behaviour policy there.