Urban slang terms like ‘coz’, ‘ain’t’ ‘innit’, ‘like’ and ‘bare’ have been banned by the Harris Academy in London in a bid to improve English at the educational institution.
As the academy looks to crackdown on poor English skills, beginning a sentence with the word ‘basically’ or ending a sentence with the word ‘yeah’, has also been prohibited.
The school has already begun to display signs around its corridors showing a comprehensive list of banned words and phrases. School corridors at the Harris Academy will no longer be littered with phrases like ‘you woz’ and ‘it so ain’t’, in a move that has been welcomed by Labour MP, David Lammy.
The Harris Academy is one of 27 academies and free schools located in and around the London area. The academy is sponsored by the Harris Federation and is situated in south London.
Whilst David Lammy, the Labour MP for Tottenham, does support the move he is bemoaning the fact that a number of other phrases are not featured in the list, drawing particular attention to the phrase ‘sup blood.’
In a lengthy statement from Mr Lammy regarding the action taken by the Harris Academy to eradicate the use of poor English, he said: “I believe this to be a great idea. Speaking slang is fine in a social setting but a school should be a professional, educational environment and if part of that means banning slang then that’s fine by me.”
He continued: “Too often I see young people going into job interviews or writing cover letters without being able to use correct English. Any attempts to change that should be encouraged.
Not many employers would tolerate their staff using words like ‘innit’ when speaking to customers or clients, so the school is right to try to discourage the use of this language in classrooms.
Given the huge levels of youth unemployment we are experiencing under the current Government, it is more important than ever that schools do what they can to prepare students for working life, and teaching good communication skills is a vital part of that.
I think it is fairly obvious to most people that anyone who goes into a job interview with a good grasp of the English language will have an automatic advantage over someone that doesn’t.
The issue here isn't about slang itself, but about the context it is used in. Language is an important part of any culture, and young people will always have their own slang.
But young people need versatility; using slang is fine in some situations, but the ability to also speak good English is absolutely crucial in any workplace, and it is something that every school should be teaching its students.
Those saying this is an attack on culture are completely missing the point: no one is saying slang is bad, but simply that it shouldn’t be the only way that one is capable of communicating.”
However, the move has also received widespread criticism with many sceptics arguing that such rules are simply not enforceable.
