PQE0101


Written evidence submitted by the Historical Association
 

The place of history in education for all children

In this inquiry we want to ask the question, what is education for? What is the purpose of our educational system? Is it, for example, to prepare our young people for the world of work? Is it to ready our children for adulthood and provide them with the skills to lead fulfilling lives? Is it to provide them all with broad academic knowledge, based on a shared culture and values? Neil Carmichael, MP

  1. A good education should be about all of these things: as a society we need individuals who can do a variety of jobs and who can innovate and develop ideas as adults; education should help our young people embrace adulthood with the skills, knowledge and interests that can help them engage fully with society and explore the world around them; a shared educational experience is also a vital part of engaging with social norms, values and cultural engagement.  The value of an historical education provides a powerful contribution to the development of a collective public good, with a citizen body of informed, articulate and critical minds.
     
  2. The study of history has an essential and valuable role in the development and education of our young people. The Historical Association [HA] has been promoting, supporting and developing the importance of history in education since 1906. We support the idea of a broad and balanced education of all young people to at least the age of 16 and we have always argued that history should be a core part of education to age 16 for all children. The arts, humanities, sciences and sports are all of equal value and to promote one or two subjects above the others unbalances and limits the educational experience and future development of many young people. 
     
  3. The purpose and value of history as an essential part of universal education is rarely denied but the notion of what history should be taught and why can lead to fierce debate. History serves a number of functions. 
     
  4. History can make sense of the modern world.  There is no topic or subject which cannot be better understood by a knowledge of its history, whether it be social and political topics, like democracy, the importance of individual liberty, the emancipation of women, or current developments in Europe or the Middle East, or else scientific topics like climate change or ethical issues in medicine: all reflect their social context and history is an important part of that context. A good historical education offers those who experience it a variety of perspectives for understanding the present in the context of the past: British values such as religious tolerance, political liberties, and the significance of national security are some of the more significant area - the history of Magna Carta, of the Holocaust, and of the multicultural composition of British culture are a few obvious examples.
     
  5. History gives a sense of identity.  The importance of developing a sense of personal identity, and history’s vital role within that, has been dramatically illustrated by the popular success of the genealogy programme Who Do You Think You Are? Equally important is the fostering of a multi-layered sense of communal and national identity. A coherent course in British history can give young people an understanding of their own country, as a European state, as a global empire and as an important country within the modern western world. At a time when the United Kingdom is under increasing strain and different sections of British society are having to work out their own sense of identity, sometimes with tragic results, history’s importance in developing and strengthening a sense of common citizenship has never been greater or more urgent. We are almost alone in not recognising this: nearly every other European country teaches its national history to all pupils to the age of 16, and sometimes beyond.
     
  6. History introduces young people to different values.  In different periods of history people have acted according to different sets of values, including Christianity, Islam, Reason and the Enlightenment, liberalism, socialism, conservatism, fascism, communism, even totalitarianism and terrorism. History can give young people an insight into values that might be very different from those they have grown up with, and can help them to develop an informed understanding of their own ethical and cultural values. Again an historical understanding enables us all to engage with, understand, and explore other attitudes, values and perspectives, which are crucial to establishing and maintaining a diverse and tolerant national culture.
     
  7. History develops vital skills.  History is a disciplined study whose skills and attributes are in wide demand in the world of work. Historical work involves objective analysis of evidence, the detection of bias and ‘spin’, reasoned judgement between different interpretations, and the construction of cogent argument firmly based on reliable evidence. Such skills are essential to the operation of a healthy democracy and of a knowledge-based economy. Research suggests that full and frequent participation in historical activities (reading, visiting heritage sites, family research) develops and benefits increased wellbeing amongst our public communities. 
     
  8. In 2010 research by the Heritage Lottery Fund estimated the value of the contribution of heritage tourism to the UK economy at £20.6 billion, maintaining over 195,000 full time equivalent jobs.  Heritage Management, public history and similar courses are growing in number at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. 
     
  9. Increasingly young people are likely to work in some form of knowledge based industry. On a daily basis in history lessons pupils practise the intellectual processes many of them will need in their working life. They are faced with questions or enquiries. They need to locate relevant sources of information and make judgements about the validity of that information. They need to communicate their findings and defend them if necessary. These skills of research, argument and communication are relevant and necessary to a number of industries.

January 2016