Would your mum understand it? Michael Gove bans jargon in education department Ordering them to "cut out unnecessary words," he said: "Rather than writing "the policy that we are introducing is intended to drive a change in behaviours on the part of teachers with respect to the poorest and most disadvantaged children and young people" say "the policy will change how teachers behave towards poorer students." Mr Gove, a former journalist, who studied English at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University, said officials should introduce one idea per paragraph, use a sympathetic tone and make sure they spell the recipient's name correctly. "The more care you take over elegant composition, the greater the compliment you pay the correspondent," he added. He also cautioned against sounding self-important in a letter. "It does not require a writing style modelled on Leonard Sachs from "The Good Old Days" or Sir Humphrey in "Yes, Minister,"" he wrote. "Using inflated political rhetoric of the "first may I say how much I care about X" is not polite. It is a time-wasting exercise in self-regarding pomposity. So don't even go there. Instead use direct, clear and vigorous language. The Cabinet minister has faced opposition among teachers for overhauling the curriculum to bring back traditional spelling and grammar tests in school. As part of his plans to make education more "rigorous," he is also changing the English curriculum to make pupils study more classic literature. The note suggests Mr Gove would like to apply such principles to his own staff. In the guidelines, first reported by The Mail on Sunday, he suggested officials should read "the greats," including George Orwell, Jane Austen, George Eliot and Evelyn Waugh. He also gave two more modern examples of clear prose writers: The Times write and former MP Matthew Parris and journalist Christopher Hitchens. The senior Tory's intervention comes after several attempts by Government ministers to improve the writing of their staff. When she was the Transport Secretary, Justine Greening sent employees in her department a five-page essay on grammar in 2011. Owen Paterson, the Environment Secretary, also drew up guidelines on how officials should use clauses and semi-colons after taking on the job last year. Mr Gove's guidlines, first reported in The Mail on Sunday, suggest bureaucrats should: 1 If in doubt, cut it out. 2 Read it out loud - if it sounds wrong, don't send it. 3 In letters, adjectives add little, adverbs even less. 4 The more the letter reads like a political speech the less good it is as a letter. 5 Would your mum understand that word, phrase or sentence? Would mine? 6 Read the great writers to improve your own prose - George Orwell and Evelyn Waugh, Jane Austen and George Eliot, Matthew Parris and Christopher Hitchens. 7 Always use concrete words and phrases in preference to abstractions. 8 Gwynne's Grammar is a brief guide to the best writing style. Simon Heffer's Strictly English is a more comprehensive - and very entertaining - companion volume. Our written work should be the clearest, most elegant, and most enjoyable to read of any Whitehall department's because the Department for Education has the best civil servants in Whitehall.