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At the chalkface: Poetry is not an option

This initiative is bone-stupid, philistine, condescending, insulting. Who are these “respondents”, these blockheads, who wouldn’t know a poem if it bit them in the bum? Ian Whitwham on Ofqual's plan to shelve poetry...

Ofqual, exams watchdog, catalyst of chaos, prompter of U-turns and well-known algorithm, has been, as we’ve seen, antic with edicts, busy sabotaging the entire exam system.

And that’s not all.

Let’s not forget a previous omnishambles, another catastrophe. Ofqual consulted “respondents” about next year’s GCSE English Lit exam. These “respondents” felt that one component of exam could be dumped.

And what might that be?
Poetry.
Why are we not surprised?
Poetry, the highest expression known to man, will be “optional”.
Why?
"Due to the impact of coronavirus on education.”
Ah.

A side-effect of Covid-19 would seem to be an inability to contemplate poetry. The tiny teenage mind implodes. It would therefore be “extremely challenging” to attempt to teach it. Pupils would struggle “to get to grips with complex literary texts remotely”.

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