History Lessons: teaching community, heritage and diversity in the National History Curriculum

In January 2011, the Secretary of State for Education announced a review of the National Curriculum. The widereaching reforms laid the foundation for an English Baccalaureate, which included the compulsory teaching of history to the age of 16, as a means of generating a renewed national pride and sense of citizenship and collective identity in schools. The proposals proved controversial in terms both of intent and content, with particular concerns raised about the place of the revised curriculum in promoting an overly homogenous view of 'British identity' and 'British history' which erased its global/imperial past and its diverse contemporary contours. The place, or denial, of 'black histories' proved particularly controversial and sparked a nationwide campaign to retain black history in the Curriculum, which garnered over 36,000 votes. In addition, concerns have been raised about the retreat to more 'traditional' methods of teaching and learning, focusing on linear narratives and 'facts and dates' rather than more detailed and participatory teaching methods, which deal with thematic approaches through 'patch' courses which facilitate the critical engagement with primary sources - on 'doing' rather than 'learning' history.

The revised curriculum comes into effect in September 2014, with many of these issues still unresolved. In particular the ways in which 'national history' can be made inclusive and relevant to Britain's increasingly superdiverse pupil cohorts have not been adequately explored. Research has suggested, further, that many history teachers remain uncomfortable with teaching diversity - especially issues of slavery and Imperialism - in ethnically mixed classrooms.

The current project draws upon, and extends, two recent successful AHRC funded projects which have explored migration to Britain through the use of oral history and life history methods, working with young people in schools. The original 'Bengal diaspora' project explored the history of migration and settlement of Muslim migrants from the Indian state of Bengal in the period after Partition, drawing on oral and life history and visual methods. Developed in conjunction with The Runnymede Trust, the Banglastories website (www.banglastories.org) and educational resource pack, brought these stories into British classrooms, aiming to engage young people in understanding the creation of multicultural Britain. The follow on project, 'Telling Community Histories about Migration and Belonging' worked with over 120 young people in schools in Cardiff, Leicester and Sheffield, to create their own family and community histories, drawing on oral and life history methods and visual/digital methods, including filmmaking (http://www.makinghistories.org.uk).

The 'Telling Community Histories' project found that young people of all backgrounds engaged constructively with family and community histories as a means of generating a shared sense of belonging focused on local places, particularly when this exploration was embedded in, and supported by, the mainstream curriculum. With the new curriculum set to be launched in September 2014, the current project aims to build on these earlier findings in two ways: 1) working closely with teachers, schools and local institutions to develop resources and innovative methods for recognising Britain's diverse histories within the remit of the new national curriculum; 2)working with young people and teachers to explore the ways in which the new curriculum can be taught in an inclusive way, engaging constructively and critically with the focus on 'heritage' and personal and local histories . The project will focus on small scale, intensive partnership work with schools in London and Greater Manchester to generate new ways of looking at national and local histories and heritage through a focus on local space and sites. This work will inform methods and approaches that can be implemented on a national scale.

The Banglastories website, and the follow-on 'Telling Community Histories' project, represent a groundbreaking partnership between the AHRC, academic researchers and the Runnymede Trust. The work to date has disseminated the findings of the original 'Bengal diaspora' project to a broad audience outside of the academy, including community groups, national, local and community media, policymakers and practitioners working on issues of migration and race equality, and young people and schools. To date, the website has received over 61,000 'hits' worldwide, and has sparked interest from politicians and a range of media (print, radio and TV). The 'Telling Community History' site, launched in November 2012 has had nearly 700 unique visitor visits, whilst a co-authored publication on the project (Alexander, Chatterji & Weekes-Bernard 2012) published in the prestigious Runnymede Perspectives series, and launched at an expert roundtable has received nearly 400 downloads to date. This publication informed Runnymede's invited briefing to Michael Gove's office on the history curriculum and played a significant role in the successful OBV campaign to retain black history in the curriculum, which gathered 36,000 signatories.

The success of these two earlier projects provides a template for dissemination and impact maximisation for the current work. The timing of the project ensures a significant interest in the project and its findings, notably the work with teachers in developing practical resources for teaching history. The project will be of particular relevance to:
1) Government/policymakers: using Runnymede's parliamentary networks and the APPG on Community Cohesion, the project will engage MPs and education specialists/policymakers through a 1 day expert roundtable focused on the project findings. We will also provide briefings to inform policy formation.
2) Education sector, teachers' unions and training organisations, schools and teachers: the project will engage with national and local organisations, schools and individuals throughout the project to design, implement, evaluate and embed the project findings in policy and practice. Runnymede has well established links with teachers' unions and training organisations (Teach First). This sector will be represented on the advisory group and invited to the expert roundtable and final launch event, and will consult on the teaching resources developed. The focus on teachers' voices and experiences, and on teaching diversity in practice, are a defining feature of this project and will inform briefings to government.
3) Third sector/civil society/community organisations: past research suggests a strong engagement/interest from across this sector in issues of history and education as it relates to BME young people in particular. Runnymede has extensive links across this sector which will be mobilised to inform and disseminate research, and will partner with relevant local organisations in designing, conducting and disseminating the research.
4) Young people: the previous research suggests a strong engagement by young people in learning history, and this project works with them in schools to embed alternative perspectives/methods in the curriculum. Young people will publish their work online, will contribute to policy formation/discussion through launch events and will link to local universities WP schemes to engage them in the HE sector.
5) Media/General public: as previous projects and the OBV campaign suggest, there is a strong interest from across the media and the general public in issues around British history and diversity. This project will engage with Runnymede's 'End Racism This Generation' campaign to publicise the research to a mass audience and will engage national and local media through the project website and publications, launch events, press releases and the Runnymede Bulletin.