To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department offers to (a) teachers and (b) schools on how they present the issue of migration.
Answered on
18 February 2019
The Department does not offer guidance to teachers or schools on how they present the issue of migration. However, sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996 require maintained schools to prevent political indoctrination and secure the balanced treatment of political issues. This duty is reflected in the funding agreements for academies and free schools. In particular, Section 407 of the Education Act 1996 places a duty on schools to ensure that where political issues are brought to the attention of pupils, they are offered a balanced presentation of opposing views.
There have been recent valuable additions to the resources available to support teaching of this issue in History. For example, the Windrush Foundation has produced key stage 2 lesson plans for primary schools, and the Runnymede Trust’s ‘Our Migration Story’ website provides extensive resources, including lesson plans.
The Geographical Association and the Royal Geographical Society both provide resources on the issue to support teaching of the Geography curriculum.