CCEA Written Language: Theme of Childhood
CCEA’s Study of Written Language controlled assessment task changes its theme focus each year. For submission in summer 2025, this task has a theme of childhood and youth.
If you are an English teacher in Northern Ireland, you will be familiar with this image:
Most years, I have used the familiar Steinbeck novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ for the written language controlled assessment task. I have allowed it to continue as my ‘go-to’ text for a few different reasons. It is not only a short text, but well known. There are plenty of resources out there to support your lessons, and, despite its uneasy depictions of race, power and ability, there is much to be valued in its literary style and features. All of this, added to the fact that I am not the HoD, and it’s generally the HoD who makes the decisions, has kept it on my curriculum, until now.
What is the problem with 'Of Mice and Men'?
Despite my love of Slim (whose ‘hands, large and lean, were as delicate in their action as those of a temple dancer’. Sigh … Slim … heart eyes!), I have reached the end of the line for teaching this text. I suspect I am not alone in this decision. Now, I’m not sure why I have not moved away from it sooner. One very brave student recently tackled this taboo with the BBC News. She has encouraged me, and many other teachers, to question what we should have questioned sooner: is it appropriate to teach a text which, at its heart, is racist. If you haven’t read the article, you can find it here.
Of course, texts are read within their contexts. Good teaching of this text helps students to understand the race issues at play in 1930s America, post abolition, Jim Crow Laws, etc. And race is not the only taboo. In Chapter four, four characters meet: Crooks (the black stable buck), Curley’s wife (the unnamed and unvalued female character), Candy (the elderly and injured swamper) and Lennie (the protagonist, whose learning difficulties lead to his marginalisation). Here, we see a microcosm of all who were vulnerable in 1930s America. But should teachers choose this text over others of equal worth which do not use offensive language and promote negative attitudes towards race?
Particularly offensive (both then and now) is the derogatory language used for Crooks. One word in particular, along with the attitude that underpins it, makes for uncomfortable reading in the classroom. I have long since stopped reading the equally uncomfortable text ‘Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry’. The literary benefits did not outweigh the offence of the language used. And yet I have persisted with ‘Of Mice and Men’.
Other issues with 'Of Mice and Men'
In addition to its racist vocabulary, ‘Of Mice and Men’ is uncomfortable in its treatment of Lennie. Spoiler alert: Lennie is shot by George at the end of the novella. Lennie’s learning difficulties have got him into trouble again. This time, it is trouble beyond what George can solve for him. My issue is that, after killing Lennie, George is offered the gesture of friendship by Slim. It is as if Lennie was only as valuable as one of the pups Slim culled. This conclusion, that the only way to deal with a difficult character with learning difficulties is to kill him off, is another problem with the story.
Indeed, both Lennie and Curley’s wife are killed, and Candy and Crooks are left disappointed and vulnerable. In the end, the only characters with some shred of hope for the future are the strong, young, capable, white men! Why have I been teaching this text for so long?! This is not the message I want to send to my young, impressionable students. So let’s look to other texts for different messages.
It’s time for a change.
CCEA's theme of childhood and youth
The final issue with ‘Of Mice and Men’ is that, no matter what your thoughts on the above issues, I can see no way that this text can possibly work for the theme of childhood. Children aren’t mentioned except for the brief reference to George’s cruelty to Lennie when they were younger, but I can’t see how this can be stretched to work.
So let’s spend some time exploring texts with more scope to suit the theme, and texts that might push us to look beyond the texts we have relied on for so long. Of course, all literature pushes us to explore themes, characters and situations which are uncomfortable, explore the grey areas and the parts of ourselves which we might want to ignore! This is not to be avoided, but let’s widen our scope for that discomfort!
For ease, I have grouped some suggested texts by form: prose, poetry and drama. I hope you find something that gives you ideas to explore further. For my class, I have decided to run with Foster by Claire Keegan. I think it is a beautiful text, Irish, and perfectly fits the theme of childhood. I am not sure I will stick with it for ever (CCEA hasn’t published themes beyond 2025 submission as of June 2023), but it is perfect for my class for now.
Prose with childhood as a main theme:
Next year, I am going to use ‘Foster’ by Claire Keegan for my Year 11 text. It is a novella that explores the theme of childhood through the story of a young girl who is sent to spend the summer on a farm in rural Ireland. During her stay, she becomes enamoured with the simple pleasures of farm life and the warmth of the family she is staying with. However, she also learns about the harsh realities of life, including poverty, neglect, and abandonment.
Throughout the novella, Keegan examines the nature of childhood and the ways in which children are impacted by the adults around them. The protagonist’s experiences on the farm highlight the importance of stability and care in a child’s life, as well as the profound impact that neglect can have on a young person’s development. Overall, Foster is a poignant exploration of the joys and struggles of childhood, as well as a reflection on the importance of family and community in a child’s life. This is the option I have picked to explore with my Year 11 class. I am planning a ‘Teach Along With Me’ style approach for some blog posts. Check out the ‘Foster’ series by clicking the image below.
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
A canonical option here.
Dickens is known for his strong feelings on the treatment of children and the poor in Victorian England. So study of this text lends itself to exploration of the context and social issues of the day. There is a plentiful supply of literary features to explore with your students: character study, imagery, plot structure, etc, making it a good choice for this task. The down side is that it is a lengthy text, but students could focus on the opening and/or closing chapters, giving their study a tighter focus. For example:
How is the theme of childhood depicted in the opening chapters of Charles Dickens’ novel ‘Oliver Twist’?
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
This is another favourite of GCSE specifications past and present, meaning there is a plentiful supply of resources available online. The characters a well drawn, language is full of imagery and implication, giving students plenty to explore, and as with Oliver Twist above, there is no need to be put off by the length of the text. If this is a barrier, students can focus on specific chapters for their written response.
Themes of altruism, leadership, bullying and survival of the fittest are all explored within the wider context of childhood. I think the richness of the language, along with the all-child set of character, make this a great option for controlled assessment.
Poetry with childhood as a main theme:
CCEA Identity Poems with childhood focus: 'Kid', 'Catrin', 'In Mrs Tilscher's Class', 'I Remember, I Remember'
Several of the poems included in the CCEA Identity Poetry Anthology would work well for a comparison essay. This works well for students studying both Language and Literature in one timetabled class, if time is short. You might want to look at Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘In Mrs Tilscher’s Class’, ‘Kid’ by Simon Armitage, ‘Catrin’ by Gillian Clarke and/or ‘I Remember, I Remember’ by Philip Larkin. Check out the study guides for each poem with these links:
Death of a Naturalist - Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney poetry is another great option for the study of written language. Studying a series of poems by the same poet allows students to understand the themes that weave through the poet’s work. In addition, studying an Irish writer is great for children growing up in Northern Ireland. Heaney’s focus on the land, his childhood and family, and the sense of ‘coming of age’ provide great themes in which to explore childhood.
Blackberry Picking, Mid-Term Break, Digging and Follower are all wonderful poems to study alongside Death of a Naturalist. Thought-provoking, honest and relatable, in addition to utterly heartbreaking (Mid-Term Break breaks me every time), there is so much packed in to every line. There is more than enough in terms of literary devices for students to sink their teeth into, to create a perceptive and detailed analysis.
Drama with childhood as a main theme:
Blood Brothers - Willy Russell
Blood Brothers is a musical by Willy Russell that tells the story of twins separated at birth, Mickey and Eddie. The brothers are born to a poor family in Liverpool, and their mother, Mrs. Johnstone, is unable to raise them both. She agrees to give one twin to a wealthy, childless couple, the Lyons, who live nearby. The boys’ lives take vastly different paths, as Eddie grows up with privilege and opportunity while Mickey struggles with poverty and crime. As the boys grow older, their paths cross and their worlds collide, leading to a tragic conclusion. The story explores themes of class inequality, fate, and the power of family ties.
Blood Brothers explores childhood throughout. Russell asks the audience to consider what makes us who we are: is it our nature or our nurture? In comparing the childhoods of the twins, we see how childhood can be influenced by social class, imaginary play, crime, sibling relationships, love and many other themes. In hearing the voices of Mickey and Edward, we are confronted with the theme of childhood on every page.
Our Day Out - Willy Russell
‘Our Day Out’ by Willy Russell is a play about a group of underprivileged students and their teachers who go on a school trip from Liverpool to Wales. The play explores the theme of childhood through the various characters who are all facing their own struggles and battles, but also experience moments of joy and excitement during the trip.
As in ‘Blood Brothers’, the children’s lives are shown to be limited due to their socio-economic situations and dysfunctional home lives. However, the play suggests that all children, no matter what their background, should have the opportunity to explore the world and have fun, which is evident in the transformative effect the trip has on the children. Ultimately, it is a heartwarming and thought-provoking story about children who, despite their challenging circumstances, find hope, fun and new opportunities.
So there are a few suggestions to get started on the theme of childhood for submission of controlled assessment in summer 2025. It would be great to hear what other texts have been chosen by English teachers in Northern Ireland … there’s still time for me to change my mind!
If you are a student or teacher in Northern Ireland, check out ThinkLit's CCEA resources:
