Classification dismissed

Mark Lawson: A plan to print suggested reading ages on children's books has their authors up in arms, and rightly so

Beyond Celta?

A Delta qualification is a prudent choice for English language teachers. Go for it, says Jenny Johnson

Second can be best

Rowenna Davis: We shouldn't panic about the numbers of students speaking English as a second language: it's an asset rather than a problem

Literary magic

Kate Bevan: Harry Potter has joined the A-level literature syllabus. With luck, it will help students to see why J K Rowling is not a great writer

GK Hunter

Obituary: Renaissance scholar and the founding professor of English at Warwick University

Bring the story of English under one roof

Christopher Mulvey: The campaign to create the English Project - the world's first visitor attraction and living museum dedicated to the story of the English language - has begun

27m to gain ‘language of prosperity’

Britain is preparing to fund an ambitious education project in Bangladesh to reverse a decline in English skills. The aim is to make the language more of a feature of everyday life, reports Max de Lotbinière

From their own correspondent

Hull academics are eagerly examining letters written by Philip Larkin - once the university's librarian. Chris Arnot reports

Gone by the Bard

Seth Freedman: A protest against Shakespeare by Jewish schoolgirls has made headlines, but we should beware the rift between secularity and orthodoxy

Master of his universe

When Rachel Cooke was granted an interview with Stephen Hawking, she was told that he only had time to answer six questions. So what would you ask the scientist with one of the most acute brains of his generation?