With the rise in popularity and funding of STEM subjects, and an increasing pressure on students to choose ‘vocational’ courses which offer a clear subsequent career path, traditional subjects such as English Literature have sadly seen a decline in university applications over recent years. In order to combat this drastic decrease in students choosing to read English at university, Croydon High School launched a seminar series aiming to inspire pupils from years 10-13 to explore the subject outside the boundaries of the school curriculum.
These seminars, arranged in collaboration with Royal Holloway, University of London and Reading University, have included lectures on Carol Ann Duffy’s Feminine Gospels, Othello, and Tess of the d’Urbervilles, all given from a variety of lecturers working at these institutions. Their collective hope is to broaden and stimulate the minds of attendees and try to tackle at a local scale the pressing issues concerning university- level English.
Recently published data has unfortunately shown that English Literature is one of the few degrees that has had a severe decline in uptake of late years, second only in shortfall to combined courses. This notable diminishing in numbers may on the surface seem coincidental, but a brief talk with any student nearing the end of their school career gives one a startingly clear idea of what is driving this change.
When students were asked what their focus would be in terms of choosing a university subject, a large number felt that they needed to select a course leading to a definite career, as opposed to a degree like English wherein a multitude of options are available after graduation. Schools have also seen a dramatic rise in popularity of STEM subjects, that are possibly less uncertain- seeming than degrees like English. In addition, some students said that they did not have an exact idea of what university learning in such a subject as English Literature would entail, which the seminar series aimed to fix, among other things.
Ms Howie, a member of the English Department at Croydon high school, commented on the value of an English degree and its versatility.
‘There is no one ‘type’ of English degree as language is diverse and always changing, so I hope our series will give young people a hunger to find out more about the different kind of English Literature, English Language, Creative Writing, Linguistics, Cultural Studies, Liberal Arts, and Comparative Literature degrees which exist.’
The student response to these English Literature seminars has been overwhelmingly positive, and many attendees feel that they have been given an opportunity to discuss areas of the subject that are not covered in the curriculum, and that they now have a far clearer picture of what a degree in English might look like.
Megan W, a Year 13 student attending the seminars, opined, ‘Over the course of the lectures, my responses ranged from typing frantically thoughts that I had never thought before, ones I completely agreed with, but also ideas that have made me frustrated. I guess that's the beauty of English: 10 people can read the same book, but the book arrives to each of them different outlooks on life, and thus, 10 different readings branch out from them.'
The series is a fantastic opportunity for young people still deciding their paths to engage directly with leaders in their academic field and to bridge the sometimes intimidating gap between university and secondary school when it comes to English Literature.
Alice M, a Year 13 student studying English at A- Level, added, ‘I think that discussing English beyond the curriculum and lesson time is so important and we have been very lucky to have been able to have our questions answered by amazing university professors. I hope to study English and Drama at University and these seminars will stand me in good preparation for it. They have certainly inspired me to think differently about literature and I hope they will have inspired others to take English Literature further in their education.’
The relationship between schools and university is a relationship that will be essential for English going forward, and if allowed to flourish it may provide a more comprehensive picture for students, as it has doubtless done in this case, of the opportunities made available by a degree in English Literature.
