Black history to be taught as part of school curriculum amid fears Churchill will be sidelined in lessons

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

When the new school year begins, lessons for secondary pupils will explore the abolition of slavery in the Empire and assess the work of reformers including William Wilberforce, the MP who campaigned for its abolition.

The changes, part of an overhaul of the National Curriculum for history, are designed to help pupils 'gain a better appreciation of the multi-cultural society around them', education chiefs say.

Reformer William Wilberforce (l) and former slave Olaudah Equiano (r) will form part of the new school history curriculum

The new curriculum fails to mention Winston Churchill in name

But critics have questioned what will make way for this material.

Under the changes, lessons will look at slavery's links to emancipation and racial segregation and at notable black figures in U.S. history and the civil-rights movement there.

Pupils aged 11 to 14 will also study the history of the British Empire and its impact on those overseas. Colonial rule in Africa and the empires of Islam in Africa are also topics suggested by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

Mick Waters, director of curriculum at the authority, said the revised history curriculum gives a broader view.

He said: 'Black history is not just about slavery - it is much broader than that. It is about the contribution that black and Asian people have made throughout history. The benefits are that pupils gain a better appreciation of the multi-cultural society around them and the contribution they can make.'

But Michael Gove, Tory education spokesman, has previously questioned why figures such as Wilberforce were mentioned, while politicians including Sir Winston Churchill are omitted by the curriculum.

The QCA said the Second World War remains an important part of the history curriculum and that teachers realise they cannot teach the subject without mentioning Churchill. The study of the two world wars and the Holocaust are already compulsory.