ABSTRACT
The Newbolt Report is, literally, multi-voiced in that it was written by a committee. It is also multi-voiced, however, in that it had to appeal to a range of very different audiences with different views about what ‘English’ should be. These ranged from politicians, to industrialists, to university or schoolteachers and to students of vocational courses. In compiling their report, Newbolt's Committee listened to a vast array of ‘witnesses’ on order to build their ‘picture’ of the teaching of English in England. Their frame of reference, however, was not all-encompassing, and this makes for some interesting absences. This chapter will consider, however, those individuals and groups whose voices are not included and the potential impact of this on the findings of The Committee.
