Diversity & Inclusion
Opening conversations and building positive, practical steps together
Every person has their own story, their own experience, and their own perspective on the world. We take very seriously the responsibility we have, to ensure all young people, as well as teachers and parents, feel reflected in the books they read – and are able to see and appreciate people and worlds that may be outside their own experience. We know that diverse and inclusive books can help improve young people’s wellbeing, empathy, confidence, and understanding of the world.
We are committed to sharing more voices, experiences, ideas, and insights through our publishing and our work with authors, illustrators and partners; whether that’s in a young child’s storybook or a History textbook.
What are we doing to ensure our books are inclusive?
- We consult with third parties who can impart expertise and first-hand knowledge
- We seek and champion authors who have lived experience to ensure that characters, topics and settings are authentic, and we are actively working to increase the diversity of our authors
- We work hard to avoid reinforcing stereotypes in our books and include positive role models who challenge limiting societal expectations
- We strive to ensure that underrepresented groups are depicted authentically in artwork
- We think carefully about the accessibility of our text and illustrations
We’re always working to improve
There is much work to do; we are dedicated to learning, improving and doing more.
If you would be interested in supporting us with this, then please contact workwithus.education@oup.com
Lit in Colour
We’re delighted to have joined Lit in Colour to encourage greater diversity in children’s reading. We will be providing free support for teachers and parents to increase confidence in teaching and discussing a more representative range of books from writers of colour and from minority ethnic backgrounds. This will include a school planning toolkit, as well as reading lists and an expert-led series of podcasts and blogs.
Primary Literacy Diversity & Inclusion statement
If you'd like to see more detailed information on diversity and inclusion in our primary reading books, then please click here.
Primary reading series you might be interested in
Project X Hero Academy Non-Fiction
Heart-warming heroes to grow kindness and empathy
TreeTops Reflect
Emotionally powerful fiction and non-fiction to make children think
Oxford Reading Tree Word Sparks
Fully decodable books that tackle the word gap too
Project X Hero Academy
Epic engagement to turn all your children into reading superheroes
Working with us
Free Resource Packs
The Pirate Mums
The Pirate Mums is a heart-warming, funny celebration of different families and a perfect class read for Reception and KS1. The author Jodie Lancet-Grant was moved to create a picture book featuring LGBTQ+ families like hers to read to her twin daughters. Our free Resources Pack includes a guide, activity sheets and bunting.
- Download the Resource Pack >
- Buy The Pirate Mums >
The Marvellous Doctors for Magical Creatures
The Marvellous Doctors for Magical Creatures is the second book by celebrated author Jodie Lancet-Grant. It’s a heart-warming story celebrating kindness, friendship and the importance of being true to yourself. The picture book is ideal for Reception and KS1 and has an accompanying free resource pack, which includes lesson ideas, reading notes, fun activities and more.
Blogs
Stories to make a difference
OUP have partnered with Pathways to help aspiring illustrators and writers from under-represented backgrounds take their first steps in the publishing industry. The programme is aimed at preparing aspiring children's illustrators and writers from under-represented backgrounds, especially BAME, to help them forge sustainable careers in children's publishing. You can take a look at the pop up shop for 10 stories that make a difference here.
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