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Schools Minister Nick Gibb today (17 November 2015) challenged publishers to make 100 classic books available at low cost, so all pupils have the chance to read them.

Texts such as 鈥楪reat Expectations鈥�, 鈥楶ride and Prejudice鈥� and 鈥楯ane Eyre鈥� should be made available to secondary schools at reduced prices.

Well-known children鈥檚 book publishers Penguin have suggested 100 books from their Black Classics that they could make available for low prices, and Scholastic have offered to give schools 26 books for as little as 拢1.50 a copy.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

Under our plan to extend opportunity to every child, we want every pupil to have the chance to be taught and read a wide range of literary classics which can inspire a life-long love of reading.

Access to these wonderful novels shouldn鈥檛 be the preserve of the few.

I want every secondary school to have a stock of classics such as 鈥楪reat Expectations鈥�, 鈥楶ride and Prejudice鈥� and 鈥楯ane Eyre鈥� so that whole classes across the country can enjoy them together.

Books become free from copyright 70 years after the author鈥檚 death - and the minister is encouraging publishers to make these titles available at low cost to schools.

As part of this government鈥檚 one nation agenda, the Department for Education wants all children to be introduced to the classics of English literature, especially if these books are not on their bookshelves at home.

The minister unveiled his challenge during a speech at the Publishers鈥� Association conference today.

Earlier this year the government issued a call to publishers, schools, literacy organisations and early years鈥� providers to join forces in a bid to make English pupils the most literate in Europe by 2020.

International surveys show that the reading ability of our 9- and 10-year-olds in England are currently the sixth best readers in Europe - with the top 18% on a par with the best in Europe.

Since the phonics check was introduced at primary level in 2012, 120,000 more children are on track to becoming excellent readers.

In August, we announced the first steps in the government鈥檚 literacy campaign, including:

• funding the Reading Agency to extend their popular scheme and set up new book clubs in 200 more primary schools all over the country
• supporting the Reading Agency to work with schools and get more year 3 pupils enrolled at their local library to help them get into the library habit early

Textbook challenge

The minister also praised publishers for responding to his call for better quality textbooks after saying the 鈥榓nti-textbook ethos鈥� in English schools needed to end.

He said that some 鈥榞reat strides鈥� have been made - particularly in mathematics - but called for more good textbooks to be made available.

Teachers in 35 primary maths hub schools have been trialling 2 English adaptations of Singapore mathematics textbooks in their schools: 鈥楳aths No Problem鈥� and 鈥業nspire Maths鈥�.

The textbooks are based upon the mastery approach to teaching.

Notes to editors

Discussions with publishers about what books they can make available are in the early stages - and government will not be stipulating what titles should be included.