Michael Rosen condemns UK education system's 'fear of laughter'

Announcing the winners of this years Laugh Out Loud awards for the funniest children’s books, Rosen took aim at the ‘oppressive’ solemnity of today’s schools

In an “oppressive” education system, children need the release of humour to make the world less frightening, according to the former children’s laureate Michael Rosen.

Revealing the winners of the Laugh Out Loud awards, which celebrate the year’s funniest children’s books, Rosen said that when he is performing his comic poems such as Chocolate Cake and No Breathing in Class, children “will look at their teachers, as if to say, ‘Are we allowed to laugh. Is it permitted?’