News Release

Challenging the swearing used in School books

Would you object if your child had to read a schoolbook with swear words?

This is the question Mark Forrest recently asked on his radio show at BBC Radio Humberside. It was prompted by concerned parent Andy Napper, a local Church leader from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hull, who did not approve when his thirteen-year-old daughter was given a book filled with swearing in her pre-GCSE reading list.

Andy Napper was interviewed in the morning and then again in the evening, sparking quite a debate with listeners around the issue of swearing.

“I couldn’t believe that a school would expose my child to this vocabulary. It’s shocking,” Andy said.

“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” by Mark Haddon, is a well-known murder mystery novel told by an autistic youngster. It contains more than sixty swear words, which Napper and many other parents found unacceptable.

“The English language can express that swear words are being used without the need to include them,” he stated.

During the morning radio interview, with presenter James Piekos, he said, “Parents, stand up. If you are not happy about this, if the poetry your child is given is not acceptable, you have a voice and you can make a stand. If we choose to do good, goodness will happen.”

Napper also sent a letter outlining the bigger issue of swearing in schoolbooks, addressing one copy to the Queen and another to the Prime Minister. Both copies, he is told, have been forwarded to the Secretary of State for Education, Nicky Morgan. Napper is eagerly awaiting her comments.

 

Style Guide Note:When reporting about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please use the complete name of the Church in the first reference. For more information on the use of the name of the Church, go to our online Style Guide.