Pressure mounts to decolonise the curriculum

It was a watershed moment in Britain’s relationship with its colonial past. Black Lives Matter protestors in Bristol tore down the statue of slave owner Edward Colston that had stood in the city centre for over a century, and threw it in the harbour.

In the wake of this, thousands have signed petitions calling for schools to decolonise their curriculums: to teach the history of British imperialism and slavery, but also to do better at centring the achievements of Black Britons in history and English lessons more widely.

Now, a cross-party group of over 30 politicians has written to the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, demanding a review of the history syllabus led by black and ethnic minority leaders and historians.

At present, there is no statutory requirement in the National Curriculum that schools teach British imperial or Black British history.

Many schools focus on the Tudors and the World Wars, for example. Even then, they may sideline the many Black people in Tudor England or the massive contribution made by Commonwealth citizens to the wars.

Examples include the people in our main photo above: John Blanke, a musician in the court of Catherine of Aragon in the 16th Century; Kathleen Wrasama, a community organiser who helped found the Stepney Coloured Peoples’ Association, and Connie Mark, who served as a medical secretary in the Auxiliary Territorial Service in World War II.

Many believe a lack of teaching on Black British history and Britain’s colonial past is responsible for perpetuating racism across the country.

Rapper and podcaster George the Poet has suggested that, as a society, “we are starting from a place of mass unawareness” about race and racism – and the way in which the British Empire shaped both.

And Wendy Williams, who wrote the report on the Windrush scandal, came to this sobering conclusion: “The Windrush scandal was, in part, able to happen because of the public’s and officials’ poor understanding of Britain’s colonial history, the history of inward and outward migration, and the history of black Britons.”

In Germany, it is mandatory for all school children to learn about the holocaust. Many feel that Britain’s enslavement of millions in the transatlantic slave trade, and its exploitation of millions more in Africa, India, the Caribbean, and elsewhere are historical injustices that demand a similar approach.

So, should decolonising the curriculum be compulsory?

Rip it up and start again

No, say some. The National Curriculum already has non-statutory suggestions for teaching British colonial history. Exam boards OCR and AQA already offer GCSE History modules on Migration and Empire. The real problem is that very few schools choose them. The most urgent issue is to make sure that this changes, and to train teachers to tackle these topics confidently.

That’s not enough, argue others. This history is too important to be left to individual school decisions. We must educate a nation of young people aware – and unafraid – of the legacy of the British Empire and how it perpetuates structural racism. Without a statutory requirement in the National Curriculum, we can never hope to create the mass awareness needed to change society for the better.