‘The most widely studied literary text in the UK these days is JB Priestley’s An Inspector Calls, closely followed by A Christmas Carol and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. These are not books to ignite a passion for reading. I would happily throw out the study of Dickens from schools, and likewise Priestley. Even our obsession with Shakespeare needs discussion. I am open to the idea of an entire Shakespeare text not being mandatory at GCSE but can you imagine the outcry?’ ‘All is not lost. I sit on a working party that is looking at how to reform the English GCSE. The government has begun a review of the curriculum and some ministers are listening.’ I hope there are some opposing views to provide a balanced perspective. thetimes.com/article/b3d98d5…