Petition · past parliament
Stop the plans to allow schools to drop poetry from the GCSE syllabus
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
Retain the current status of poetry in the GCSE syllabus
Our young need the creative outlet of poetry to express their passions and emotions. With the rising number of suicides among the young do not underplay this important means of expression. Please keep its status in our children's programme of study or else we will see their lives diminish and become placid and lifeless.
Why it was rejected
It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.
Decisions about qualifications, examinations and assessments in England are a matter for Ofqual, exam boards and individual schools, and are not a matter for the UK Government or Parliament.
The Government is responsible for the national curriculum for secondary school, which requires poetry to be taught as part of Key stage 3 and Key stage 4: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/840002/Secondary_national_curriculum_corrected_PDF.pdf
The Government is responsible for the national curriculum for secondary school, which requires poetry to be taught as part of Key stage 3 and Key stage 4: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/840002/Secondary_national_curriculum_corrected_PDF.pdf
Timeline
| 4 Aug 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 4 Aug 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
4 Aug 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.