Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has been torn apart over Labour's plans to "diversify" the school curriculum, warning it will "politicise the school day".
Speaking to GB News, academic and author Joanna Williams expressed her outrage at the proposed changes to the national curriculum.
Phillipson has initiated a comprehensive review to "refresh" what is taught in schools across England.
However, Williams warned the changes would be "entirely to the detriment of children and to academic standards".
An interim report on the curriculum changes is expected in early 2025, with full recommendations to follow later that year.
Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott has criticised the initiative, arguing the Department for Education should prioritise tackling absence rates rather than "fiddling with our academic curriculum".
Williams accused the Education Secretary of attempting to bring "ideological indoctrination" into "the very heart of the school day".
She explained: "The clue is in the name, English literature should be about the literature that's been written in English and produced in England.
"And I think the more we trash those things, the more we we trash what it means to be British and what education is actually for."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Williams argued that English literature "should be about the literature that's been written in English and produced in England".
The academic condemned what she described as "regressive ideas" being promoted through the curriculum changes.
"It's actually incredibly racist and sexist to think that if you have black skin, you can't enjoy Shakespeare, if you're a woman, you can't enjoy Charles Dickens," she told GB News.
She added: "These are really regressive ideas that are being pumped out by this Labour Government. It's real cultural vandalism on educational standards, and children will ultimately be the victims of this attempt to politicise the curriculum."
Williams emphasised that schools play a crucial role in introducing children to their national history and cultural traditions.
"I think it's one of the really important roles that schools can play, introducing children to their national history, to their national culture, our cultural traditions.
"And for me that is a very progressive thing, because it's one of the few things that can genuinely unite people", she said.
"Children will ultimately be the victims of this attempt to politicise the curriculum," Williams concluded.
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Speaking to GB News, academic and author Joanna Williams expressed her outrage at the proposed changes to the national curriculum.
Phillipson has initiated a comprehensive review to "refresh" what is taught in schools across England.
However, Williams warned the changes would be "entirely to the detriment of children and to academic standards".
An interim report on the curriculum changes is expected in early 2025, with full recommendations to follow later that year.
Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott has criticised the initiative, arguing the Department for Education should prioritise tackling absence rates rather than "fiddling with our academic curriculum".
Williams accused the Education Secretary of attempting to bring "ideological indoctrination" into "the very heart of the school day".
She explained: "The clue is in the name, English literature should be about the literature that's been written in English and produced in England.
"And I think the more we trash those things, the more we we trash what it means to be British and what education is actually for."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
- Labour's plans to 'diversify' national curriculum branded 'nonsense': 'Ideological indoctrination!'
- Students self-censoring out of fear of being cancelled in 'chilling effect' on free speech
- Labour plot to make national curriculum more 'diverse' branded an 'attempt at indoctrination'
Williams argued that English literature "should be about the literature that's been written in English and produced in England".
The academic condemned what she described as "regressive ideas" being promoted through the curriculum changes.
"It's actually incredibly racist and sexist to think that if you have black skin, you can't enjoy Shakespeare, if you're a woman, you can't enjoy Charles Dickens," she told GB News.
She added: "These are really regressive ideas that are being pumped out by this Labour Government. It's real cultural vandalism on educational standards, and children will ultimately be the victims of this attempt to politicise the curriculum."
Williams emphasised that schools play a crucial role in introducing children to their national history and cultural traditions.
"I think it's one of the really important roles that schools can play, introducing children to their national history, to their national culture, our cultural traditions.
"And for me that is a very progressive thing, because it's one of the few things that can genuinely unite people", she said.
"Children will ultimately be the victims of this attempt to politicise the curriculum," Williams concluded.
Find Out More...