English teachers' journeys since the 2020 Iteration of Black Lives Matter

Abstract

The 2020 resurgence of Black Lives Matter (BLM) mobilised students in England to demand greater representation of racially minoritised voices in English curriculums—a call highlighted by stark inequity: just 1.5% of GCSE texts studied are by racially minoritised authors, despite racially minoritised students comprising 38.0% of the student population. Drawing on Critical Race Theory (CRT), I investigated how 11 secondary school English teachers responded. Through thematic analysis of interview data, aided by a visual timeline stimulus, I examined both the transformative possibilities and the institutional constraints that teachers encountered. Three key findings emerged. First, BLM acted as a definitive catalyst, igniting a pedagogical desire for change. Second, change was facilitated by specific opportunities: student activism, profound engagement with new texts, diverse classrooms and examination boards' expanded offerings. Third, teachers' journeys were curtailed by systemic barriers: canon‐centric training, critical resource gaps and multifaceted institutional resistance. My study advances CRT in English education by mapping the mechanisms of exclusion that preserve the canon. I propose four evidence‐based interventions: integrating CRT into teacher education; centralised funding for inclusive resources; embedding representation standards in Ofsted frameworks; and formalising student curriculum co‐design. Ultimately, my research demonstrates that without institutional transformation, the disruptive potential of BLM remains unrealised, perpetuating the exclusionary dominance of the literary canon.