Schools 'drop' controversial Holocaust teaching » Education » 24dash.com

Schools are dropping controversial subjects from history lessons - such as the Holocaust and the Crusades - because teachers do not want to cause offence, Government research has found.

The way the slave trade is taught can lead white children - as well as black pupils - to feel alienated, according to the study by the Historical Association.

And a lack of factual knowledge among teachers, particularly in primary schools, is leading to "shallow" lessons on emotive and difficult subjects.

Some teachers have even dropped the Holocaust completely from lessons over fears that Muslim pupils might express anti-Semitic reactions in .

And one school avoided teaching the Crusades because its "balanced" handling of the topic would directly contradict what was taught in local mosques.

The report, funded by the Department for Education and Skills, said: "Teachers and schools avoid emotive and controversial history for a variety of reasons, some of which are well-intentioned.

"Staff may wish to avoid causing offence or appearing insensitive to individuals or groups in their es.

"In particular settings, teachers of history are unwilling to challenge highly contentious or charged versions of history in which pupils are steeped at home, in their community or in a place of worship."

The researchers gave the example of one history department in a secondary school in a northern city which decided not to teach the Holocaust as a topic for GCSE coursework.

The report said the teachers feared confronting "anti-Semitic sentiment and Holocaust denial among some Muslim pupils".

Christian parents at another school complained over the way the Arab-Israeli conflict was taught.

"In another department, the Holocaust was taught despite anti-Semitic sentiment among some pupils, but the same department deliberately avoided teaching the Crusades at Key Stage 3 (11-14-year-olds) because their balanced treatment of the topic would have directly challenged what was taught in some local mosques."

The study said too many teachers "play safe" and called for better training in how they should handle difficult subjects.

Emotive issues such as the slave trade can be taught too blandly, portraying Afro-Caribbeans as victims and isolating black children, the report said.

But when teachers downplay the role of the white authorities in abolishing the slave trade, white children can become alienated.

The report said: "In certain educational settings, white working- pupils in the minority can feel alienated if the role of white abolitionists in the process of abolition is so downplayed that all credit is given to economic factors and black resistance in ending the slave trade."

The report came as the country marked 200 years since the passing of laws which brought about the end of transatlantic slavery. The anniversary sparked angry protests and renewed demands for a formal Government apology for Britain's role in the trade.

Earlier this year, a Government review of citizenship education recommended that all pupils should learn about issues such as slavery and the legacy of the British Empire.

Children should be encouraged to develop their own sense of British identity to avoid social divisions widening between different groups, it said.

Commenting on the Historical Association research a spokesman for the Commission for Racial Equality said: "The Historical Association's report paints a worrying picture. Education is a crucial time in which we can all learn how to live and work better together.

"The teaching of history provides the perfect forum for stimulating the development of shared values that are essential if everyone is to contribute and play a full part in an integrated British society.

"It is essential that our teachers are supported in developing the confidence and expertise to discuss all historical periods and events in a balanced and sensitive manager. We would welcome a greater debate on this key issue in order to help develop practical methods of assisting the teaching profession."

Copyright Press Association 2007

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