The centenary of the publication of "The Teaching of English in England" provides an opportunity to consider the current National Curriculum for English in England from a historical perspective. This paper reports on a hermeneutic study that explores the humanist values underpinning Newbolt's Report and how they shape the creative practice the Report advocates, in relation to the current curriculum. It briefly considers the reasons behind the current creativity- and risk-averse orders and the possible impact on creative classroom practice, concluding that an awareness of the tradition of creativity in English teaching (in particular, through Newbolt) is important to shape future practice. In so doing, it promotes hermeneutics as an approach to educational research.