1 December, 2021
The English department at City of Norwich School is thrilled to have recently received 100 books by authors of colour.
The school was awarded the books following their successful entry into the Penguin ‘Lit in Colour’ book giveaway competition earlier this year. Assistant Headteacher, Jean Tillyard, completed the entry on behalf of the school after being sent the link by Year 12 student Mimi Ronson, who is keen to support the school on its inclusivity and diversity journey.
The Lit in Colour campaign was created in 2020 by Penguin Books UK and equality think tank The Runnymede Trust to help and support schools to introduce more books by people of colour into the classroom.
City of Norwich School was one of the lucky schools to be chosen from over 1,600 applications from across the country. The prize consists of 100 Penguin books, made up of a fantastic range of titles by Black, Asian and minority ethnic authors, as well as 30 copies of the excellent ‘Empireland’ by Sathnam Sanghera.
These additional titles will strengthen the school’s diverse literature offering, providing wider representation, and enabling students to broaden their perspectives through reflection and understanding of experiences beyond their own.
The books are now available to all students and staff and can be found in the section dedicated to diversity in the library. There are also plans to start a book group within the school for students and staff to discuss some of the works in the collection.
Mimi Ronson, Year 12 student said: “I’m thrilled to be part of this push for diversity in literature at CNS. It’s such an integral part of education – yet something that often we forget about. When we read these diverse narratives, it reminds us that they do exist, all around us; recognising them is the first step to achieving true diversity.”
Jo Philpott, headteacher of City of Norwich School, said: “Lit in Colour is a truly excellent campaign, and I am delighted that CNS has been selected to receive these wonderful books. We believe it is extremely important for our students to experience exceptional literature that comes from authors of diverse backgrounds, to broaden their horizons and inspire them their writing.
“I want to say a huge thank you to both Mimi and Mrs Tillyard for their work towards securing these books, the whole school community is extremely grateful.”
Category: News
Tags: Black asian and minority authors, City of Norwich School, CNS, equality diversity and inclusivity, Literature
