{"id":870,"date":"2020-11-06T13:54:51","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T13:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/?p=870"},"modified":"2020-11-06T13:54:55","modified_gmt":"2020-11-06T13:54:55","slug":"should-the-national-curriculum-consider-britains-colonial-past-as-compulsory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/2020\/11\/06\/should-the-national-curriculum-consider-britains-colonial-past-as-compulsory\/","title":{"rendered":"Should the National Curriculum consider Britain&#8217;s Colonial Past as Compulsory?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Three select committees heard evidence yesterday regarding Black history in the National Curriculum after thousands demanded the British Government to decolonise the curriculum. This discussion was brought to the Government after a<a href=\"https:\/\/petition.parliament.uk\/petitions\/324092\"> petition <\/a>about cultural diversity in education was signed by over 200,000 thousand people.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"responsive-embed widescreen\"><iframe title=\"E-petition evidence session on Black history and cultural diversity in the curriculum\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WjwNciEYe9s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The petition was created by two young women who both studied History together during A-levels, Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson and Nell Bevan. They are the founders of an organisation called <a href=\"https:\/\/impactofomission.squarespace.com\">\u2018Impact of Omission,\u2019<\/a> which aims to make education on Britain\u2019s colonial past compulsory in the core curriculum.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">As the creator of the petition to include Britain\u2019s colonial past as part of the national curriculum, and in conjunction with my work for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/impactomission?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@impactomission<\/a>, I\u2019ll be speaking remotely at an evidence session happening in Parliament on Thursday! The livestream is linked below \u2b07\ufe0f\u2b07\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/DpSmEbbsnN\">https:\/\/t.co\/DpSmEbbsnN<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Esmie \ud83d\udcab\ud83e\ude90 (@esmiejp) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/esmiejp\/status\/1323616891361988611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 3, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>They created a survey on their organisation\u2019s website to find out exactly what was being taught in the History lessons.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After over 55,000 responses they found under 10% learnt about the role of slavery in the British Industrial Revolution and only 7.6% learnt about the British colonisation of Africa.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"933\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_0316-933x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-881\" srcset=\"https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_0316-933x1024.jpg 933w, https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_0316-273x300.jpg 273w, https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_0316-768x843.jpg 768w, https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_0316-500x549.jpg 500w, https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_0316-800x878.jpg 800w, https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_0316.jpg 1241w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 933px) 100vw, 933px\" \/><figcaption>Image taken off Impact of Omission website <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson explained how her experiences in school were white-washed. This and the #BlackLivesMatter Movement led her and Nell to create a petition, which caused people to think carefully, including teachers about what they were teaching in the classroom.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Government responded to the petition back in the Summer arguing that the History curriculum already includes themes surrounding the British Empire. These themes are chosen by schools and teachers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">So the government has responded to our petition, \u201cTeach Britain\u2019s colonial past as part of the UK\u2019s compulsory curriculum\u201d with a statement that is so superficial it borders on insulting. Here\u2019s how you can help us refute this: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/p2WiepyUxQ\">pic.twitter.com\/p2WiepyUxQ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; IMPACT OF OMISSION (@impactomission) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/impactomission\/status\/1279795165440376832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 5, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This kind of flexibility and freedom does not sit well with some teachers. Roasmund McNeil, the Assistant General Secretary of the National Education Union, said yesterday: \u201cIt cannot be a question of flexibility or freedom here, there actually needs to be a responsibility.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Within the Curriculum, facts like British Colonialism and the Trans-Atlantic slave-trade need to be weaved in, according to Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However politicians like Kemi Badenoch, a Treasury &amp; Equalities Minister strongly disagrees that the Curriculum needs to be decolonised. \u201cOur Curriculum does not need decolonising for the simple reason that it is not colonised, we should not apologise that British children study the history primarily of these islands,\u201d said MP Kemi Badenoch in a recent Commons debate on Black History.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"responsive-embed widescreen\"><iframe title=\"Kemi Badenoch, Conservative MP - House of Commons - Politics in Education - 20 Oct 2020\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pqBTWPl-11U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The petitioners also want to see diversity within the resources used to teach. \u201cThink about the picture books you teach in Key Stage One, more black people need to be included,\u201d said Esmie.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the main worries about changing parts of the National Curriculum is it can be considered as \u2018quick-fix.\u2019 Dr Katherine Burn, Associate Professor of Education at the University of Oxford stated yesterday that there is a lack of teacher confidence when it comes to teaching certain issues.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Until this is fixed, wider issues within education cannot be solved.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Going forward the main barrier to proposed changes will be time and space. \u201cTime is very pressured and the National Curriculum is very full,\u201d said Rosamund McNeil.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Related stories: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li><a href=\"http:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/2020\/10\/16\/is-black-history-month-purely-an-american-celebration\/\">Is Black History Month purely an American Celebration? <\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/2020\/10\/16\/natural-hair-day-by-brampton-manor-female-students-takes-social-media-by-storm\/\">Natural Hair Day by Brampton Manor female students takes Social Media by storm<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three select committees heard evidence yesterday regarding Black history in the National Curriculum after thousands demanded the British Government to decolonise the curriculum. This discussion was brought to the Government after a petition about cultural diversity in education was signed&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":885,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[]},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[134,99,136,135],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=870"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":887,"href":"https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870\/revisions\/887"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centreforjournalismprojects.co.uk\/InvictaNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}