Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the inclusion of the book 'Pigeon English' in the English GCSE curriculum in England and Wales.

Schools have the autonomy to choose the specific books and resources they use within the framework of the national curriculum. The department defines the genres of literature that must be covered, but does not prescribe individual authors or texts, other than Shakespeare which must be taught. At GCSE level, exam boards set out a range of set texts in their specifications, and schools are free to select those they wish to teach.