Gareth Johnson MP champions teaching history in schools

 For Immediate Release

Gareth Johnson MP champions teaching history in schools during a Westminster Hall debate

This week Gareth Johnson MP for Dartford has taken part in a debate on the importance of teaching history in secondary schools. 

“It is vital that pupils learn about Britain’s interesting and colourful past.  In order to understand the future we must also understand the past, and we are doing pupils a disservice if we do not provide them with a basic understanding of Britain’s history.” Said Gareth.

History teaching is currently very patchy across the country. In some areas over three quarters of pupils do not learn history after 14 years of age. In other areas there is a greater up-take of the subject. Whilst there are more people passing GCSE history there are less and less students taking up the subject which is a great shame.  However, the subject is more widely taught around Europe being compulsory in most countries.

Gareth said “Whilst it is important that the Department for Education is not too prescriptive when it comes to the curriculum, we must ensure that traditional academic subjects are not streamlined out of the national curriculum. We are fortunate in Dartford to have schools who understand the importance of teaching children history up to the age of 16. Sadly this is not the case around the rest of the UK””

ENDS.

For further information contact Gareth on 0207 219 7047 or at [email protected]. 

To see the debate in full go to: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2012-01-10b.25.0&s=speaker%3A24803#g44.3