Last updated 11:35, Thursday, 01 May 2008

IF you want a sad example of the dumbing down of education take the story that Harry Potter is being put on the A level English syllabus.

Potter author J K Rowling spins a good yarn and her books have got thousands of kids reading, which is to be applauded.

But when it comes to the great classics of our language, books that have stood the test of time, you can hardly put the boy wizard in that category.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first novel in the series, will figure on the English language and literature syllabus of the AQA board which sets half the UK’s exams.

Children enjoy the Harry Potter stories, but they should be encouraged to read and understand the great works of literature.

If you gave kids the choice of exam. reading they would probably opt for a couple of teenage pop and fashion magazines or something that’s been adapted for the telly.

There’s a danger that, by elevating Harry Potter to the realms of Shakespeare and Dickens, the essential and glorious framework of our literary culture will be watered down and gradually lost.