English and Its Teachers ─ A History of Policy, Pedagogy and Practice

English and its Teachers offers a historical overview of the development of secondary English teaching in schools over the past fifty years. Initially charting the rise of a new progressive approach in the 1960s, the book then considers the implications for the subject and its teachers of three decades of central policy intervention. Throughout, document and interview data are combined to construct a narrative that details the fascinating and, at times, turbulent history.

The book is divided into two main parts – ‘The Age of Invention’ and ‘The Age of Intervention’. The first of these sections details how innovative English teachers and academics helped to develop a new model. The second section explores how successive governments have sought to shape English through policy. A final part draws comparisons with the teaching of the subject in other major English speaking nations and considers what the future might hold.

English and its Teachers is a valuable resource for those interested in the teaching of English in secondary schools, from new entrants to the profession, to experienced teachers and academics working in the sector.

Dr Simon Gibbons is the director of teacher education at King’s College London.