To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to ensure that pre-colonial world history is given greater emphasis in the national curriculum; and what steps they have taken to ensure that European colonialism and its consequences are given greater emphasis in the national curriculum.
Answered on
18 February 2015
The requirements for the mandatory history curriculum, taught in maintained schools in England from September 2014, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-history-programmes-of-study
Pupils should be taught about world as well as British history. At key stage 2 for example, pupils should be taught a non-European society that provides contrasts with British history – one study chosen from: early Islamic civilization, including a study of Baghdad c. AD 900; Mayan civilization c. AD 900; Benin (West Africa) c. AD 900-1300.
The new curriculum is less prescriptive than before, which gives teachers more freedom over the precise content that should be taught, including pre-colonial world history or European colonialism and its consequences.