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Gary glitter and GCSE music controversy

England's largest exam board is to remove a Gary Glitter song from its GCSE music syllabus.

The convicted paedophile's 1970s chart hit, I'm the Leader of the Gang, was listed as "related listening" in coursework for the AQA's music GCSE.

The government said the song's inclusion was "totally unacceptable" and called for it to be removed.

The AQA exam board said that it regretted any offence caused and was recalling the paper.

An AQA spokeswoman said: "We regret any offence that has been caused by its inclusion and we will be contacting our centres and recalling the paper."

New papers will be reissued without the related listening list that included the Glitter song.

Concern was raised by an unnamed deputy head teacher quoted in the Sun newspaper.

He told the paper: "He's a convicted paedophile jailed for sexually abusing kids. It's completely inappropriate to recommend him as listening material.

"Boys and girls of 15 or 16 who select this song will go straight to the internet to find Glitter's music."

Royalties

Dr John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "Schools registered with this examination board depend on the board to choose appropriate texts, and will have been dismayed at the choice of a Gary Glitter song.

"No teacher should be in the position of having to discuss this man's work with the young people in their class, and all teachers will have rejected the idea of using this material.

"I welcome the withdrawal of this song, which should never have been included in the first place."

Campaigners had warned that Glitter might get royalties as a result of its inclusion in the GCSE.

Director of children's charity Kidscape Michelle Elliot said: "It sends totally the wrong message to paedophiles' victims.


Does anyone else think that the reaction is way too OTT - afterall in the brief it is only one fricking song.


My music teacher certainly had no worries about handing out the brief to us (nor did the other 4 at my school).

So what do you think about the song being listed and being recalled?
I personally think it's OTT. It could be likened to refusing to teacher people any of Wagner's music, due to all the anti-Semitic stuff.

:smile:
Reply 2
The_Lonely_Goatherd
I personally think it's OTT. It could be likened to refusing to teacher people any of Wagner's music, due to all the anti-Semitic stuff.

:smile:


Was about to say the same. I don't think a person's work should be judged by the nature of the person themselves.
It's just a song :laugh:
I fail to see the sense in the sentance "Boys and girls of 15 or 16 who select this song will go straight to the internet to find Glitter's music." Yes, and?
Reply 5
Garry Glitter is a paedophile, the lowest of the low, he should only be refered as scum
That's ridiculous! I suppose next we won't be doing Wordsworth in Lit because we'll all get into opium or something. And so what if they do listen to his other stuff! I love Do You Want To Touch Me :biggrin:
Reply 7
Dionysus
Was about to say the same. I don't think a person's work should be judged by the nature of the person themselves.


I agree completely. Unless the person is projecting their undesirable traits into their music then what's the problem, if he'd written the song as 'Leader of the child-gang-rape' that'd be a different matter but as it happens he didn't.
Reply 8
Waaaaaaayy OTT. It should be left in IMO.
Reply 9
absolutle ********. Way OTT. most decent music was written under the influence of drugs. 15/16 year olds will know who Glitter is, so even though he is a paedophile, his music shouldn't be dismissed because of it.

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