Churchill’s historical return
WINSTON Churchill will be restored to British schoolchildren’s history lessons.
This is part of a major overhaul of the curriculum designed to equip children with an understanding of Britain’s “island story”.
A new draft of the curriculum for five- to 14-year-olds in England covers the Romans, Vikings, Magna Carta, the Reformation, development of the Empire, the Napoleonic Wars, the Industrial Revolution, the world wars and the creation of the National Health Service.
Pupils will be expected to study up to 1066 at primary school and the Norman Conquest onwards during secondary education.
It follows criticism of an earlier version of the document that required primaries to teach up to the Act of Union 1707 — prompting fears that children were being overloaded at an early age. The document also makes explicit reference to a series of key historical figures, including monarchs such as Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria and Churchill’s wartime leadership.
Sources said it was intended to address concerns over “dumbing down” by the last Labour government, which controversially stripped names from the curriculum in 2007, including Churchill and Adolf Hitler, to avoid overprescription.
The reforms will be unveiled this week by Michael Gove, the British education secretary, as part of a wholesale shake-up of lessons in all subjects, including English, maths, science, geography, foreign languages, art and physical education.
An earlier draft of the history curriculum was attacked by teachers’ leaders and academics for being too focused on Britain and presenting pupils with an “endless list of facts”.
The new version is deliberately less prescriptive, merely recommending the study of certain topics within broad historical periods.
It makes more specific requirements relating to the study of world history.
At primary school, this includes the compulsory study of Ancient Greece and lessons on one non-European society to contrast with Britain from a list that includes early Islamic society and the Mayan civilisation in Central America.
A senior Whitehall source said: “This new curriculum . . . reverses the devaluation of the history curriculum and exams.
“Children will learn a coherent story of British history.” —©