History Education Denied: The Unheralded Growth of a Two-Tier Education System in England

• In Event: Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: Local and Global Forces That Shape History Curricula and Policy

Abstract

This paper examines the state of history education in England, using data from a national online survey carried out in three successive years (2009-11). Over 1800 responses from high school history teachers provide extensive information about curriculum arrangements, time allocated to the subject, the proportion of pupils studying history at examination level and the extent of non-specialist teaching.
The surveys reveal the impact on history provision of the interplay between national policy initiatives and individual school contexts. Findings highlight the development of a two-tier system, with history flourishing in some contexts but marginalised in others, with certain pupils – particularly those in areas of socio-economic disadvantage or deemed to be less able – effectively denied access to a history education.

Authors

• Katharine Burn, Institute of Education - London

• Richard John Harris, University of Reading