We're proud to share the news that two NHB-published plays – Leave Taking by Winsome Pinnock and Princess & The Hustler by Chinonyerem Odimba have been selected as new set-text options for AQA's GCSE English Literature specification.

This is one of the most-studied qualifications in the UK, with almost 450,000 people in England completing it in the academic year 2020/21. We're delighted that our authors' work has been recognised in this way, and excited that students will have the opportunity to study and enjoy these fantastic plays, thereby increasing the diversity of their options for the UK's most-popular English Literature qualification.

We've also announced new GCSE Student Guides for each play, to help teachers and pupils looking to study Leave Taking and Princess & The Hustler. These will be available for first teaching of the texts in September 2023. See more about these – plus a round-up of other resources – here.

Pauline McPartlan, AQA’s Head of Curriculum for English, said:

'As the largest awarding body for English, we have the greatest influence on what's taught in the classroom. We want to make the right changes, so we’ve listened to teachers, consulted with external experts and academics, and worked with our senior examiners to inform the decisions we’ve made.

'We're making these changes because it matters that current and future generations of young people have an opportunity to experience a diverse, balanced, inclusive English literature curriculum that resonates with their lives and better reflects modern Britain.'