No history please, we are English

England’s education system is the only one in Europe that allows pupils to opt out of history lessons at the age of 13. They can in its place choose Geography for one of their 5 core subjects needed to complete their Baccalaureate (pre-university qualification).

70 schools in England do not even enter a single pupil for a GCSE in history at all. Perhaps this is just me because history was one of my favourite and most enjoyable subjects at school, but is the reason because the majority of pupils in our schools are immigrants with little interest in history of the world let alone that of the UK.

Once again I think the opportunity to integrate immigrants to our country at an early age into our culture and history is being lost. In my opinion history should be reinstated as a core subject.

Phil

Absolutely agree with you phil.

Could it be that a lot of history is about war.
A lot of wars involved us beating the crap out of some nation or other.
"Today, children, we are going to look at how England battered little Ranjits ancestors"

Volty

Yes I believe that England's history of colonisation and crusades are behind the dropping of history as a core subject. Surely though a little tact and diplomacy could see a teacher around these problems because like it or not its all a part of history. After all the history of the world is not all about England and other countries including the ones where the immigrants of this country came from have histories that they might not be proud of.

Phil

I agree that , certainly when I was a child (yes they did have schools then) history was rather a lot of wars and kings and queens, and that may be why it has rather gone on a back burner. However the history profession and popular history
( as in non-fiction books ) is not thta way inclined but into social issues, industrial progress etc. I had thought 9but without children cannot be sure ) that the school syllabus would have follwed those Trends

Now I remember history as being about a lot of dates, as I have stated history was one of my favourite subjects though I still remember very few of the dates. I remember very little about the wars except maybe the Armada. I remember all about the exploration and circumnavigation of the globe. Now England only played a minor roll in that didn't they. It was much later with Colonisation when we came on the scene. So what is wrong with teaching about that?

What happens when only a couple of pupils in a school opt to take history as a core subject. Are they given the full facilities to study or are they quietly talked out of it and talked into choosing another subject?

Phil

i would guess the second option you suggest

These days they would probably be offered Media studies.

Its a big thing today, they have special colleges for Media Studies. What do they do watch television all day?

Phil

I think they send the stutents out in little groups with an expensive video camera to make a film of each other talking - sort of a visual version of BT, except they get a grant for doing it

Morning, I was never very fond of history, geography was more my line.
Here in Brighton, every other student and his mother are doing media studies, Brighton must be the media capital of the UK.

Do you think I could get a grant for my holiday video?

Phil

If you had never had a job, were a bit of a pratt, and didn't have anything in your heaed worth saying then you might stand a chance of getting a grant Phil, or otherwise you could stand for parliament.

Mike

I think we have all thought at one time or another that we could do a much better job than those that we elect to run the country. The reality of late is that those daydreams have more truth to them than they ever did before.

Phil