black history lessons uk

This year the 100 Great Black Britons campaign includes useful learning resources to help teachers and parents doing home school during lockdown. Theses lessons and activities can be used to teach students about subject areas covered in KS1; KS2; KS3 and KS4.

“Black history is Britain goes as far back as it’s possible to go. Children growing up in modern Britain should know their true history, and whether they are Black, brown or white, Black history is part our of national story. These resources on the 100 Great Black Britons site can be used by families, parents, guardians and carers to help children understand themselves and their wider history. This is central to Black Cultural Archives’ purpose, so we’re very pleased to contribute to this great resource.” Arike Oke Managing Director, Black Cultural Archives

“100 Black Britons is a timely project, we are in need of more projects that focus on the often untold narratives of Black British pioneers. It is important that their legacy and the spirit of hope they embodied is carried on for future generations. By teaching this in schools we are ensuring their place in history is never forgotten.” Ife Thompson, Director of BLAM

“Black history is vital for every young persons' development and understanding of their identity and the world around them. To become fully rounded people, it is important that all young people are given meaningful access to a full version of history.” Lavinya Stennett founder of Black Curriculum

Lesson Plans

Black people in Britain before the slave trade

Introduction to black leaders in britain

Resources courtesy of The Guardian

Author and creative director: Gaverne Bennett and Designers: Jon Wedderburn and Sarah Edwards

Guardian black history posters

Guardian black history wall charts. Five separate posters detailing history of black people in the UK. Timeline Part 1 Timeline Part 2 Timeline Part 3 Timeline Part 4 Timeline Part 5

How the Caribbean freed itself

Extended guardian black history resource.

Extension of black history wall chart for The Guardian about Black History. View PDF

Resources courtesy of Twinkl

Lesson material around 100 Great Black Britons

Benjamin Zephaniah

Diane Abbott

Black British History Timeline

Learning Resources

Kandace chimbiri, story of the windrush.

(Golden Destiny 2018) – a book celebrating the legacy of the Windrush pioneers which combines historical fact with the narratives of men and women of the Windrush Generation. Fulfils the requirements of English and History (KS1 and 2) Available for purchase here

Windrush Foundation, Empire Windrush Education Resource (KS2 and 3) More than 150 pages of information, activities, photos and data for students, teachers and parents. Request a PDF here

Black History 4 Schools

Created by teacher Dan Lyndon in 2006, this resource contains classroom lessons on Black and Asian history from the Tudor period to the 20th century.

Making Freedom:

Making Freedom is the title of an exhibition and education project that was developed by the Windrush Foundation to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Emancipation in the Anglophone Caribbean in 1838. The project's website includes a 90-page education pack (with quizzes, information sheets and activities about Caribbean history, heritage and culture) that can be freely downloaded for use by schools, families and community groups. The resources can be downloaded from here

Bernie Grant Trust Learning Resources:

Freedom to believe project:.

education pack based on University of Edinburgh and Talawa Theatre Company project exploring Caribbean social and religious histories. The Freedom to Believe project was developed by the University of Edinburgh to provide teaching and learning resources about Caribbean religious and social history for young people aged 11-16. Available to be downloaded here

Mary Seacole:

TheSchoolRun.com has lots of activities on the life of the Jamaican nurse and war hero at Key Stages 1 and 2 here Also check out BBC History, The life of Mary Seacole ; Key Stage History, which contrasts with Florence Nightingale ; Twinkl also have resources on Seacole that you need to create an account for free downloads of material.

Olaudah Equiano:

the Times Education Supplement (TES) offers PowerPoint presentations on the life of the abolitionist and author – free downloads here here and here

Black Presence: Asian and Black History in Britain, 1500-1850

Developed by the National Archives and the Black and Asian Studies Association (BASA), this online exhibition charts the Black and Asian presence in Britain from the early modern period and presents many of the original documents held in TNA’s collections

A to Z of Black Radicalism:

Kehinde Andrews, professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University is exploring Black radicalism alphabetically with a short explanation and resources here

Moving Here:

A great archived resource on migration with hundreds of free downloadable documents relating to migration to England over the past 200 years. Schools resources here , and resources looking at education as key issue in debate around migration

Our Migration Story:

an award winning online resource developed by the Runnymede Trust presenting the stories of the generation of migrants who shaped Britain with lots of lesson plans and activities.

British Library Windrush Stories:

is an online resource that explores Windrush from cultural, historical, social, political and literary perspectives and features objects from the Library’s collection and teaching resources for Key Stages 2 and 3.

Bound for Britain:

A National Archives online resource for Key Stages 3 and 4 with downloadable materials including original documents

V&A Black Theatre and Performance:

Resources on the V&A’s collections on the history of black performance. Lots of interesting articles that can be adapted for reading comprehension, or just to learn about this rich history

Bussa’s Rebellion:

A resource by the National Archives that explores the rebellion in Barbados in 1816 as part of a broader study on resistance to enslavement in the British Caribbean for Key Stages 3 and 4

Caribbean Histories Revealed:

an online exhibition that explores the history of the Caribbean through government documents, photographs and maps from the 17th century

Caribbean History in Photographs:

Lessons for Key Stages 2,3,4,5 learning what contemporary images of the Caribbean can teach us

The Empire Called to Arms:

Learning resources by the Imperial War Museum exploring the different countries that contributed to British the war effort

The Life and Times of JA Rogers:

an article by Patrick Vernon on the life and work of the independent historian Joel Augustus Rogers, who made black history an important subject of study from the 1920s until his deat. The story of the British West Indies Regiment in the First World War: Imperial War Museum narrative on the BWIR with original images from their archives

Equiano Society:

Resources relating to the 18th century abolitionist and writer including articles, online exhibitions and teaching resources. Where are all the Black Historians? Patrick Vernon considers the plights of black historians in the UK. Where are all the Black Historians? Patrick Vernon considers the plights of black historians in the UK

Speaking Out and Standing Firm:

Programme developed by Haringey Libraries and Every Generation to capture the histories of African and Caribbean servicemen and women. Lots of great resources based on their experiences

Whose Remembrance:

Resources accompanying an IWM project that researched the experiences of the peoples of the former British Empire in the two world wars

Black Learning Achievement and Mental Health (BLAM)

offer free black history resources for ages 6 to 16. Email for access to the weekly programme and worksheets

The Black Curriculum:

a social enterprise that delivers Black British History in schools. Also provides free weekly resources for Key Stages 2 and 3

Podcasts on Black British History

Radio 4: asquith’s fight for equality:.

The story of Asquith Xavier who fought the colour bar at Euston Station. Presented by Oona King

Archive on 4: The British Black Panthers:

The story of the Black Power movement in Britain in the 1970s

Radio 3: Black British History:

Discussion on what it means to be black and British with Kehinde Andrews, Bernadine Evaristo, Keith Piper and Miranda Kaufmann

History Extra Podcast:

David Olusoga explores Britain’s links with the people of Africa

History Workshop Podcast: Displaying Black History: The Krios of Sierra Leone:

Discussing a new display at the Museum of London Docklands telling the story of Sierra Leone’s Krio people

BBC World Service, The History Hour, Black British History:

looking back on some landmark moments in history

Black British history at the National Archives: several really good podcasts on the lives of a number of black historical figures

Voices of Windrush Podcast, Colourful Radio with Sinai Fleary and Patrick Vernon

Archive on 4: Our Anniversary Obsession:

In this programme Patrick Vernon is interviewed about the campaign for a national Windrush Day

Museum of Grooves Podcast:

Emancipation Day and UN Decade of African Descent. Michael Küppers-Adebisi founder of CyberNomads and AFROTAK TV highlights the experiences of Afro Germans and the German government proposed apology for the genocide of the Herero people in Namibia 1904-1908. Esther Stanford-Xosei is an internationally acclaimed Reparationist, Jurisconsult, dynamic community advocate and radio broadcaster

100 Great Black Britons:

Ade Solanke and Dr Angelina Osborne

30 Years of Black History Month:

Diane Abbott MP, Marai Larasi, feminist activist and Toyin Agbetu founder of Ligali.

Indentured Labour in the Caribbean:

Joshua Jelly-Schapiro is a geographer and writer is the author of Island People. Ansel Wong community activist and Lainey Malkani author of Sugar Sugar.

Jon Daniel - Afro Supa Heroes

Get involved and share your ideas

We want the 100 Great Black Britons campaign to be used as a way to encourage pupils and teachers to get involved by developing and sharing exciting ideas, activities and lesson plans which not only support their work for Black History Month in 2020, but also make it easier for other teachers and pupils to integrate the teaching of Black history into school curricula for years to come.

If you want to get involved and share your own resources with others you can upload them using the following link:

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Location of images: Somerset House

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Black History Month resources

UPDATED FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2023

October marks Black History Month in the UK. To help you raise awareness and celebrate the achievements, history and contribution of black people with your students, we've hand-picked this selection of resources including lessons, worksheets, activities and assemblies focusing on key figures, movements and events in black history. From the Civil Rights Campaign, Windrush and Apartheid to significant figures such as Mary Seacole, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, we have plenty of resources ready for you to download and use with your classes.

Activities and worksheets

A diverse collection of activities and worksheets to share with your students in lessons, form time or for morning work this October. From independent research tasks and comprehension worksheets to creative craft activities, there's plenty to choose from. 

Black History Month: Writing Activities

Windrush Reading List

Black History Month: Research Activities for Teens

Black History Month Quiz

Black British Firsts

Black History Month POP-UP Craftivity

Black History Month Biography Research Template Project Activity Poster

Black History Month Female Firsts Chatterboxes

Black History Month Word Search

Black Inventors Pelmanism Game (Black History Month)

Black History Month

Mary Seacole Comprehension

Famous Black Scientists, Engineers & Inventors Crossword Puzzle

UKS2 Rosa Parks Reading Comprehension Activity

Lessons and units of work

Whether you are looking for subject-inspired content or simply looking for something to share with your students we have black history lessons and units of work covering a range of topics and themes. 

The Race Issue in America

Black history month lesson

Hidden Figures Pretty Curious classroom resource

Civil Rights: The Jim Crow Era

Black Tudors

African nurses (in the NHS and earlier)

KS3 and KS4 English - 'Checking Out Me History' by John Agard

Black History Month UK

KS2 Lubaina Himid Art activities Black History Month

Empire Windrush: Early Black Presence

What was the significance of Rosa Parks in the Civil Rights Movement?

Assemblies and display resources.

Presentation and display resources to support you in celebrating Black History Month with your students and spark discussions in assembly or smaller group settings. From exploring what Black History Month is and how and why we celebrate it to breaking barriers and challenging stereotypes, there's something for everyone. 

Black History Month Classroom Door Display

Black History Month Assembly

Black History Month Assembly - October

Hidden Figures Breaking Barriers assembly

Black History Month Classroom Decor Poster Set, African American History, History Classroom, Classro

Black History Month Listening Calendar

Black History Month - Black Scientist Trail

The (incomplete) Lit in Colour book list 2022 Edition: KS3-5

Blog The Education Hub

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/06/22/national-windrush-day-how-we-teach-children-about-black-history/

National Windrush Day: How we teach children about Black history

National Windrush Day 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the passengers of the Empire Windrush to the UK. The day celebrates the vital contribution and achievements of the Windrush generation and their descendants.

The freedom and flexibility of the national curriculum mean that historic events such as Windrush can be taught in schools, and many teachers and schools already make sure that these are discussed in the classroom.

Learning about how different groups have contributed to the development of Britain to make us the nation we are today is a key part of a broad and balanced curriculum. This includes reflecting the voices and experience of Black people.

How is Black history taught in schools, including events like the arrival of the Empire Windrush?

History is a varied and diverse subject and Black history can be appropriately embedded into the curriculum.

Here are just some examples of where Black history can be taught using the national curriculum:

• At Key Stage 1 the curriculum should teach children about key historical events within or beyond living memory. This could include lessons about the significance of the Windrush generation to our national life, and the lives of key Black historical figures in the context of the UK.
• At Key Stage 2 the curriculum should cover the study of one non-European society that contrasts with British history and includes the example of Benin (West Africa) from 900-1300 AD.
• At Key Stage 3 the history curriculum explores ideas, political power, industry and empire in Britain between 1745-1901, so that every child has an understanding of the history and consequences of Empire. Key Stage 3 pupils must also study an aspect of British history that extends their chronological knowledge, such as the impact of the migration of people to, from and within the British Isles.
• At Key Stage 4 pupils studying GCSE history should develop and extend their knowledge and understanding of key events, periods and societies in local, British, and wider world history. Teaching should reflect the wide diversity of human experience. This could include the impact of migration on Britain.

We’re currently developing a new Model History Curriculum that will be published next year.

The Model History Curriculum will support schools to teach history content that is high-quality and diverse. It will include teaching on how Britain has influenced and been influenced by different societies and communities. It will also reflect the richness of world history – teaching pupils about societies and civilisations both within and beyond Europe.

Useful resources to teach children about Black history

• Historical Association – resources about Windrush 75.
• Windrush Foundation – provides a Key Stage 2 Windrush education resource including activities, information and photographs.
• BBC Bitesize – resources about the Empire Windrush.
• National Archives  – ‘Marking the arrival of the Empire Windrush 75 years on’, resources and activities marking the anniversary.
• Oak National Academy – a selection of Black history resources available for both English and history lessons including on the resistance to slavery in Jamaica in the 19 th  century and on the Windrush.

You may also be interested in:

• Black History Month: how Black history is taught in schools
• What is RSHE and why are we reviewing the curriculum to protect children?
• What are we doing to recruit more teachers and improve retention?

Tags: Black history , Black history in school , Empire Windrush , National Windrush Day , Windrush , Windrush 75

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Black History Month – lesson plans for secondary schools and colleges

We’ve designed these lesson plans to give you some guidance on having an lgbt-inclusive black history month. choose the activities that best suit the needs and abilities of your class as well as the time you have available..

Each lesson has its own PowerPoint to assist with whole class teaching. Any other suggested resources are be noted in each lesson plan.

We have also developed lesson plans on this theme for students with SEND/ASN .

Click the links to download the resources.

Lesson packs:

Black History Month Lesson Packs KS3 and KS4 S1 to S6

Black History Month Lesson Pack Post 16

PowerPoints:

Black History Month PowerPoint - Key Stage 3 or S1 to S3

Black History Month PowerPoint - Key Stage 4 or S4 to S6

Black History Month - Post-16

Black History History Lessons, Worksheets & Resources

Browse our online library of black history lessons and resources. aimed at students 11-14 years old (ks3) & 14-16 years old (gcse). great for home study or to use within the classroom environment., featured resources.

Looking to save time and find the most popular and useful resources on School History? Take a look at the featured resources below.

KS3, GCSE & A-Level Resources

Are you teaching students aged 11 to 16? If so, you can save a lot of time with our specific Black History modules below.

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James K. Polk Facts & Worksheets

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Continental Army Facts & Worksheets

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Mary Prince Facts & Worksheets

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• Black History Month Teaching Resources

Black History Month activities – Best 2024 resources for KS2 and KS3

Celebrate Black History Month in October with these lessons, assemblies, recommended movies and more…

Browse this list of recommended Black History Month activities to find the perfect way to cover this important event in your classroom this year…

• When is Black History Month?

Black History Month takes place in October in the UK.

• What is Black History Month?

In the UK, Black History Month is a national celebration that aims to promote and celebrate the contributions black people have made to society. It’s also an opportunity to promote an understanding of black history more widely.

• Black History Month theme 2024

2023’s focus was on celebrating the exceptional achievements of black women. This was encapsulated by the theme ‘Saluting our sisters’.

Black History Month activities and resources

How to avoid the ‘siloing’ effect of black history month, whose history should we teach, black history month art lesson plan.

Use this KS2 art lesson to look at the life and work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, arguably the most influential Black artist of all time. Basquiat gained recognition as part of the New York graffito duo SAMO and went on to receive critical acclaim.

Children will enjoy accessing his art because it feels familiar – his drawing style is very childlike, and his work has a sense of freedom.

Discover black scientist Dr Shirley Ann Jackson

Use this free activity booklet from Pearson to explore key facts about famous black scientist, Dr Shirley Ann Jackson. There are also fun activities and discussion starters for your students. 

Windrush Child reading lessons

Windrush Child  by the late, great Benjamin Zephaniah explores themes of identity, belonging and resilience. It’s part of the  Scholastic Voices series which aims to highlight underrepresented histories through personal and powerful narratives.

Designed to facilitate a deep understanding of the novel over five weeks, this five-lesson resource by Ashley Booth breaks the book into manageable chapter segments for detailed study.

Black British History lesson plan

It’s not always easy to find Black History Month activities that help children learn about black  British  history.

Patrice Lawrence’s novel  Diver’s Daughter  offers a valuable opportunity to help pupils discover more about the diversity of the people who lived in England during the Tudor times.

By exploring the experiences of characters whose stories are not always told, and contrasting them with their own rights and freedoms, this Black History Month KS2 lesson plan for schools enables children to develop empathy alongside their historical knowledge and understanding.

Black History Month activities – poetry competition

This poetry competition is open to all students from primary age onwards, with separate categories for different age groups.

Pupils need to submit a poem about a pioneering black woman who has made an impact in their chosen field – whether famous or not. The deadline is 15th November 2023.

Winners will be announced on World Poetry Day and the top 32 poems will be printed in a special publication.

Inspirational people comprehension and writing activities packs

Teach LKS2 students about influential footballer, Marcus Rashford. This Black History Month activities pack from Plazoom covers introduces Marcus and explains how he’s using his influence to campaign for political change.

It contains text and comprehension questions, a PowerPoint, discussion cards and a writing task sheet. There are similar packs for KS1 ( Rosa Parks ) and UKS2 ( Barack Obama ).

Inspirational posters art activity

This KS2 art idea involves children working together to produce inspirational portraits of significant people. The posters make an inspiring display when placed together.

Empire Windrush lesson plan

During this KS2 Black history lesson , children will become aware of the discrimination that black people faced as they arrived in Britain on the Empire Windrush in 1948.

It also provides opportunities for pupils to explore important historical events, demonstrate empathy and discuss issues relating to current affairs involving discrimination.

Once you’ve explored what the Empire Windrush was and the reaction passengers received when they arrived, complete the lesson by writing a diary entry.

The lesson plan and all accompanying resources are included in this download.

Books for topics – Look Up!

Join science-mad chatterbox Rocket and learn about Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space, with this KS1/2 Black history book topic .

Every child has a dream – they want to be ballet dancers, football players, vets, pop stars. Rocket, star of  Look Up!  by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola, wants to be an astronaut more than anything in the world (and the solar system).

This story follows the aspirations of a very passionate and tenacious little girl who is desperate to follow in the footsteps of Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space.

This title won Waterstones Children’s Book Of The Year and will entertain and enthuse young readers with its thoughtful, bold, bright illustrations and charming protagonist.

Floella Benjamin drama lesson

When planning your Black History Month activities, there are many people whose struggles, achievements and inspirational stories could be shared with our children.

Floella Benjamin is certainly inspirational, but has the added advantage of having recorded her experiences in a beautifully written and accessible book,  Coming to England .

This KS2 Black history drama lesson plan uses drama to explore some of Floella’s experiences, while giving the children the opportunity to discuss and express their views on discrimination, inequality and injustice.

Schools resource pack

This Black History Month schools resource pack 2023 costs £54.50 and contains:

• Black History Month posters
• Assembly notes
• Lesson plans
• Supporter logos, artwork and more

The importance of Black History Month assembly

This Black History assembly from TrueTube is designed to celebrate (and discuss) the event. You can download the assembly plan which includes links to include related videos.

Black History Month magazine

The 2023 edition of Black History Month Magazine will features a wide range of writers, from sportspeople and entertainers to educators and businesspeople, all talking about how to elevate black people and be an ally. 

Find out how you can get this year’s edition and read older editions .

Empire Windrush education resources

These two massive Empire Windrush education resources , published by Windrush Foundation, include more than 200 pages of information, activities, photographs and data for students, teachers, parents, guardians and anyone keen to know some of the interesting post-war stories of Caribbean people in the UK.

Into Film recommended movies

As per usual, Into Film has you covered with topic-related films and accompanying teaching resources.

This list ranges from films like  The Princess and the Frog  for young students to the seminal  To Kill a Mockingbird  and the harrowing  12 Years a Slave .

Many come with film guides for teachers or related resources to help teach children in your classroom.

Influential Black Britons illustrated book

This resource from UK Parliament contains stories of influential black Britons who have impacted UK laws and equal rights . Use it to embed stories of important black Britons across your KS1 and KS2 curriculum.

Black history timeline of resources

At  Black History 4 Schools  you’ll find a whole list of links to useful resources all separated into historic sections:

• Black presence in Tudor times
• Transatlantic Slave Trade and Abolition of slavery
• Black presence in the 18th, 19th and 20th century

Black British history lessons with Professor David Olusoga

With only 8% of people reporting ever learning about the colonisation of Africa in schools, resource website iChild has partnered with Professor David Olusoga and his sister Dr Yinka Olusoga to create resources focuses on black history as an integral part of British history, not an add-on.

It’s part of the Captivating Classrooms collection, which features more than 250 digital resource units. The resources include editable PowerPoints, teacher notes, worksheets, keyword flashcards, posters and certificates. Find out more about subscribing.

Read more about David Olusoga’s schooldays and the racism he endured.

Black history in the army

The National Army Museum has created source packs and teacher notes with suggested activities) to highlight black history and support an inclusive curriculum. Students will learn about:

• The origins of African and Caribbean soldiers in the Army
• Conflict and resistance within the British Empire in Africa 
• The contributions of black men and women to Britain’s efforts in the First and Second World Wars

I want to be honest and open with all who read this. I spent years getting diversity and inclusion wrong.

As a teacher and curriculum leader, I was certain that because I featured the lives of Black people, women and other under-represented groups in my curriculum via dedicated lessons, assemblies, tutor time posts or even homework, I was getting it right.

However, I now know that I was being naïve. I’d fallen into the same narrative traps that have ensnared many others. I write these words having since educated myself, researched widely and spoken to a number of Black educators, including Emily Foloronshu ( @MissFolorunsho ) and Thandi Banda ( @STEMyBanda ), who were gracious enough to assist with the writing of this article.

Deeper thinking

Black History Month (BHM) is a well-intentioned celebration of the invaluable contribution made by Black peoples from the African Diaspora to British society. To be clear, I’m not going to argue here that we should scrap BHM. Indeed, it must be made an integral part of the school year.

I am, however, keen to explore the need for us to think more deeply about the time we allocate in the history curriculum to studying the contributions and developments made by Black people.

With big, one-off events such as BHM in place, do we risk treating the contribution of Black people as merely an add-on, for one month only?

Are BHM and other similar events just tokenistic attempts at inclusivity? Should we instead be looking to seamlessly connect the perspectives of broader, more inclusive groups, in order to arrive at a more thorough understanding of life in the past?

“Do we risk treating the contribution of Black people as merely an add-on, for one month only?”

Where we are

In recent years, some schools have adopted a more diverse and inclusive curriculum in which they connect the contributions and developments of Black people to the perspectives and contributions of non-Black people. But, at least in my experience, this is far from the norm.

In primary schools, Black History Month will typically involve a themed assembly and a month of topic-related activities. These may celebrate the contributions of individuals like Martin Luther King or Jesse Owens.

This is a start, but does it really show that we value the contributions made by Black people to the country and world we live in today? To what extent does such activity meaningfully help students understand cultural diversity?

In secondary schools, BHM tends be delivered through assemblies, workshops and PSHE lessons. But again, it’s activity that’s limited to one month. It’s often not linked to any other current learning, resulting in its purpose being lost amongst students.

Surely we can do better than this?

The power of history teachers

We history teachers have a superpower – a knowledge of the past that enables us to shape the minds and perspectives of all the children who pass through our classrooms.

I often think about the hundreds of students who have left school knowing that ‘Hitler invaded Poland in 1939’ or that ‘William the conqueror used castles as a form of social control’ because I told them so.

We create a legacy of knowledge in our classrooms. The perspectives and viewpoints we consider in our lessons will live on in the minds of the next generation, and possibly the generation after that.

So it follows that we have an enormous responsibility to ensure that what we teach is as well thought out, representative and accurate as it can be.

So, with that in mind, how many of our students could name a Black inventor? How many could name a Black man or women who has led social change in the UK? Very few, would be my guess.

And yet, history is full of Black people who contributed to the development of the world we currently live in. Yes, Martin Luther King was a globally important figure within the Civil Rights Movement. But don’t children in the UK deserve to also learn about more relatable individuals who have contributed in some way to the development of the country they know today?

This issue extends beyond the history curriculum. Every subject area, across all Key Stages, can do more to value and celebrate the contributions of Black people. If we don’t, we perpetuate the narrative that non-Black individuals almost exclusively shape and tell history.

Rethinking curriculum design

While there has been some progress in ensuring history curriculums reflect wider perspectives, we must do more. Consider how most schools will examine women’s fight for universal suffrage in one unit, and then the experiences and struggles of Black people during the height of the slave trade in another. I would argue that by isolating such topics, we present the groups concerned in a very particular way.

Instead, let’s look at how we can design our curriculums so they reflect the perspectives of said groups within all topics. In place of standalone lessons, let’s encourage a more organic reflection of different groups at each curriculum stage. At the same time, we shouldn’t give our students the impression that Black people ‘began’ as slaves. Instead, we should look more widely at African kingdoms, and the roots of humanity in Africa.

The amazing work of Katie Amery and Teni Gogo in this area is worthy of high praise. Earlier this year they authored a textbook for Oxford University Press, titled  KS3 History Depth Study :  African Kingdoms – West Africa Student Book , which reshapes the curriculum work schools have previously done on African heritage.

It prioritises the responsibility we have as teachers to maintain a legacy of knowledge that challenges racism and preconceived stereotypes around Black people.

The standalone problem

Looking back, I now shudder to think of those lessons, homework assignments and other tasks I planned and delivered to ensure I’d essentially ‘ticked the inclusion’ box. Because whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t an inclusive curriculum.

The fact that we were having to even consider how to ‘add’ the perspectives of different groups into our topics illustrates just how naïve we’ve been in this area.

We should carefully weave and sequence such perspectives throughout curriculum content. As history teachers, we should considering more widely those sources and interpretations that might help to broaden the knowledge base.

“Looking back, I now shudder to think of those lessons, homework assignments and other tasks I planned and delivered”

For example, you can easily use diary entities and letters from Black soldiers serving in WWI regarding their experiences of the trenches alongside sources from white soldiers.

Alternatively, when covering the recruitment of soldiers in WWI, we could cast our topic net more widely by directly comparing recruitment drives on the home front with those pursued across the wider Commonwealth.

Pertinent and explicit

When I started researching this topic, I was shocked to find that some schools don’t celebrate BHM at all, but celebrate it we must.

In Emily Foloronshu’s view, BHM can be made both pertinent and explicit by going beyond just the US Civil Rights Movement. It’s about thinking more deeply about how the event links to Black people’s lives in the UK.

Above all, collaborate and connect with other educators and academics. Because there’s so much good work being done nationwide to ensure we all reflect on our responsibilities, as history teachers, to devise an inclusive curriculum that accurately and consistently reflects the perspectives of different communities.

Lindsay Galbraith is assistant vice principal – teaching, learning and curriculum at a school in Telford; follow her at  @MsGHist

What to do next

• Spark debate among your teams. Is your curriculum inclusive, in terms of there being seamless connections between the experiences of wider communities and your current perspectives?
• Reflect on whether your curriculum feeds into stereotypical ideas about Black people. Are you only teaching the history of Black people from the slave trade and beyond?
• Read widely. A great place to start would be Emily Folorunsho’s chapter in the recently published  What is History Teaching, Now?  handbook edited by Alex Fairlamb and Rachel Ball (£18, John Catt)
• Recruit a team of teachers and students to help you with your planning for Black History Month
• Consider cross-curricular links beyond the history curriculum and spark debate across your school

Events over the last few years have highlighted the need for school history lessons to adopt a much wider, more global perspective, says history teacher Gemma Hargraves…

As monuments fell across the world in 2020, some of us felt compelled to ask – are our young people seeing themselves and their cultures reflected in the history curriculum? And does it matter?

The answer to the first question remains unclear. Many schools have made great strides in recent years to make their history curricula more diverse and representative. As for the second question, the answer is an emphatic ‘yes’. It matters.

Not just symbolically, but because the inclusion of world history, and the histories of groups previously overlooked in the curriculum, will make our subject richer. It will enable us to tell a fuller story, in bright technicolour.

This discussion isn’t about tokenism. Rather, it’s about how to make a rigorous and just curriculum fit for purpose in our globalised world.

I don’t intend to suggest any distinct routes to curriculum reform here. But I do believe that it’s worth exploring further the issues around whose history is being taught and how.

Regimes and racism

From the killing of George Floyd to the storming of the Capitol building, international events over the last few years have prompted us to think again about the content of the lessons we teach.

One can’t ignore the work of the National Trust’s fantastic Colonial Countryside project , the beginnings of Joe Biden’s presidency and the wonderful poem from Amanda Gorman that she read at the inauguration: “Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished.”

As Sarah Maza argues in  Thinking About History , history changes all the time because it’s driven by the concerns of the present. She observes that history can be described as “What the present needs to know about the past”. And in this particular present, we’ve seen efforts at toppling monuments worldwide.

Statues topped

Protestors damaged statues of Christopher Columbus in Boston, Minnesota and Virginia. A statue of Andrew Jackson located near the White House survived an attempt by protestors to pull it down in June 2020.

Jackson served as the seventh US president from 1829 to 1837, owned slaves and enacted policies that forced Native Americans from their land, resulting in 15,000 deaths.

Closer to home, authorities removed statues of Leopold II of Belgium from locations near Brussels and a public square in Antwerp.

Almost 85,000 people signed a petition calling for the removal of all statues of Leopold from Belgium, as the country continues to grapple with its colonial past.

Leopold’s forces seized Congo in the late 19th century and ran an exploitative regime that led to the deaths of as many as 10 million Africans.

For decades, teachers have barely taught colonial history in Belgium. You can still find the famous (and racist) cartoon book  Tintin in the Congo  in many Belgian classrooms.

In June 2020, however, Belgium’s education minister announced that the country’s secondary schools would teach colonial history from 2021.

Colonial past

Britain was forced to confront its own colonial past when protesters forcibly removed a statue of the slave trader Edward Colston and threw it into Bristol Harbour. Colston transported at least 80,000 people from West Africa to the Caribbean, almost 20,000 of whom died on the voyages.

The statue was eventually retrieved, though not restored to its former location. Since then, debate has continued to rage around those schools and streets that bear his name.

Two days after Colston’s literal downfall, local authorities removed a statue of Robert Milligan outside of the Museum of London Docklands. He too was a slave trader. By the time of his death in 1809, he owned two sugar plantations and 526 slaves in Jamaica.

In January 2021 we saw the government’s response to these protests. Communities minister Robert Jenrick announced plans to change the law in to protect historic monuments and ensure “We don’t repeat the errors of previous generations.”

Representative history

Are we, as Chris Husbands argues in What is History Teaching? , as concerned with concepts of humanity and inhumanity as we are with evidence and change? For that may fundamentally alter the nature and purpose of history in schools, regardless of whose it is.

An understanding of the current discussion around statues may appeal to those drawn more to the humanity and inhumanity part of that equation. Or it might appeal to those drawn more to evidence and change. However, the concept of the former doesn’t fit as neatly into exam board specifications as the latter.

More recently, monuments erected to Churchill and Nelson have come in for especially heavy criticism. But there’s one thing I’d take from both men before their statues are potentially destroyed, moved, contextualised or forgotten.

220 years ago, Nelson stated that “The boldest measures are the safest,” with Churchill later using the same phrase himself. Perhaps sound and timely advice with respect to our history curriculum planning. If the question we’re asking is ‘ Whose history? ’, well – we must be bold.

We must acknowledge, for instance, that Black British history is all our history. Our present day UK is one shaped by immigration, even prior to the  Empire Windrush . More than one in five British people have a disability. We have evidence of homosexuality as far back as Roman times.

“If the question we’re asking is ‘ Whose history? ’, well – we must be bold”

We need to realise that diverse history is representative history. We must be global, not parochial; ambitious, not conservative. Curious, not close-minded.

Warts and all

Our globalised experiences show just how interconnected the people of the world now are. Though our historical knowledge should remind us that this isn’t new.

Global histories may now have the potential to edge out national narratives. With limited teaching time available in schools, we must make choices.

One can’t claim to teach the history of every possible group in school; to attempt to do so would be superficial, misleading and lead to an incoherent history curriculum.

“One can’t claim to teach the history of every possible group in school”

Still, as Husbands argues, pupils’ ideas of the past are linked to ideas they already have regarding human motivation. This works alongside various ideas and experiences that they’re exposed to beyond the school gates. Local history has its place too.

We can perhaps take inspiration from books like  The House by the Lake  (Thomas Harding) or  House of Glass  (Hadley Freeman), and broaden our timeframes to more of a breadth study, albeit while shining a spotlight on certain individuals, stories and evidence.

Or we could add some of Miranda Kaufmann’s  Black Tudors  to the established Tudors unit – a ‘slot-in’, as some schools are currently doing to rapidly diversify their existing units. But we must then build to do more, and do better.

Complex past

One may well agree with Jenrick when he said “It is our privilege in this country to have inherited a deep, rich, fascinating and, yes, often complex past. We are mature enough as a society to understand that, and to seek to pass it on – warts and all. To do otherwise would leave our history and future diminished.”

Indeed, it’s the duty of history teachers to teach that history, warts and all. To borrow a further line from Amanda Gorman – which could relate to the UK as much as the USA – “It’s the past we step into and how we repair it.”

“It’s the duty of history teachers to teach that history, warts and all”

All that’s left is to continue carefully pondering whose history it is that we’re teaching, and after Brexit and COVID-19, whether that history can help us heal.

Further reading

• Natives  – Akala
• Queer City  – Peter Ackroyd
• The Hill We Climb  – Amanda Gorman
• Brit(ish)  – Afua Hirsch
• What is History Teaching?  – Chris Husbands
• Thinking About History  – Sarah Maza
• Silencing the Past  – Michel-Rolph Trouillot

Download this audit tool to identify gaps and areas for development in your own history curriculum.

Gemma Hargraves is a history teacher, A Level examiner and secondary committee member of The Historical Association.

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• International edition
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Black British history: the row over the school curriculum in England

From the omission of the black Tudors to the absence of empire, data reveals how GCSE history is taught

I n Britain, one focus of the Black Lives Matter movement has been how we tell the history of the country. Beyond the protests about statues, young people have been campaigning against changes to the national curriculum in England made in 2014.

When the then education secretary, Michael Gove, announced he wanted to refocus the teaching of history in schools to “celebrate the distinguished role of these islands in the history of the world” , he removed the curriculum’s explicit focus on racial and ethnic diversity, particularly within Britain.

Though some of his more extreme ideas were dropped after opposition from teachers and academics, his changes meant the teaching of black history became optional.

This has led to black people being almost entirely written out of the version of British history taught in schools, says Lavinya Stennett, the founder of the Black Curriculum , an education social enterprise that delivers black British history in schools.

GCSE exam data collated by the Guardian shows that although schools are permitted to teach black history, as well as the history of people outside Europe and the US, few of them do.

Up to 11% of GCSE students are studying modules that refer to black people’s contribution to Britain. And less than one in 10 are studying a module with a focus on empire, despite this being a significant feature of the last 400 years of British history.

This finding is backed by a survey of 50,000 people that explores the history participants learned at school.

Of the 59 GCSE history modules available from the three biggest exam boards, Edexcel, AQA and OCR, 12 explicitly mention black history. Only five mention the history of black people in Britain, the rest are about black people in the US, other countries or the transatlantic slave trade.

Of the five that cover black history in Britain, three include migration, one deals with empire in the 17th and 18th century, and one mentions race relations in postwar Britain in a thematic study of power over an 850-year period.

This means up to 11% (approx 28,412) of GCSE students in 2019 were studying modules that made any reference to the contribution of black people in British history.

No modules in the GCSE syllabus for the most popular exam board, Edexcel, mention black people in Britain.

Yet there have been black people in Britain since at least the Romans arrived as well as black communities of sorts since the 1500s, as David Olusoga chronicles in his book Black and British. They include a trumpeter in Henry VIII’s court who wrote to the king asking for a pay rise, seamen at the battle of Trafalgar and soldiers fighting for Britain in both world wars.

And of course white British people have been in Africa: running the transatlantic slave trade to the Caribbean and the US and occupying the likes of modern-day Nigeria and Kenya to Egypt and South Africa.

A spokesperson for Edexcel’s parent company Pearson said they are planning to introduce a module about migration in Britain that will cover black British history, and that work on this will be accelerated in light of recent events. They said that diversity and inclusiveness “is an absolute priority for us and we’ve worked hard to ensure that our history GCSE qualification covers a range of cultures and countries … We always encourage feedback and take action on it where possible”.

What are the effects of this missing history?

The consequences of this missing history, in Stennett’s words, is that many people do not know why Britain is the way it is today. “People are not aware of the contributions that were made [by black people] to Britain. Also, they don’t understand their classmates or the people around them,” she says.

This omission harms black Britons, Stennett says. “The whole basis of the Windrush scandal was that ‘these people don’t belong here’, that their citizenship could be revoked. It makes me feel like we don’t belong, like we’ve never made any contribution,” she says. “That is not the truth.”

Everyday life for black Britons is permeated by this history, according to Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, the 19-year-old co-creator of the Impact of Omission, including how microaggressions play out.

“When black people say, ‘Please can you not touch my hair,’ people think it’s about invading personal space. And it is to an extent, but you also have this history in this country about how black people were put into zoos and petted like animals,” she says. Human zoos including Somali people among others continued in Britain until the 20th century.

“People think you are overreacting when you’re like, ‘Can you please not do that.’ People think it’s PC culture. But when you do something like that it recalls a deeply painful and traumatic history that black people have to reckon with every single day.

“You can walk through the world, touching people’s hair because you think it looks fluffy but it’s a completely dehumanising thing that has its roots in human zoos. That’s the impact of omission, that people can walk around not thinking about the history of their actions.”

Nell Bevan, an 18-year-old who co-created the Impact of Omission with Jikiemi-Pearson, says: “I remember hearing adults say that you learn history so you can learn the mistakes that we used to make. But how can you avoid mistakes that you are not taught about?”

How do we get beyond the ‘slave’ and ‘victim’ narratives?

When black people feature in GCSE history lessons it is often in the context of the slave trade. Without the inclusion of other aspects of black history and a broader understanding of empire, the focus on slavery, though crucial, can reinforce narratives of black people as victims.

So it is also important, according to Clare Broomfield, the head of history at Villiers high school in Southall, Middlesex, for pupils to learn about different cultures before colonisation. “Studying the Mughal empire or the Benin kingdom moves away from the narrative that people of colour and black people are seen only as slaves or victims,” she says.

The data shows that a third of GCSE students studied the modules centred on non-European or American cultures. Of that third, 95% were studying one of two modules on China under Mao. Three other modules focus on non-European/American culture outside the context of an invasion: the Mughal Empire 1526-1707; South Africa 1960-94: the People and the State; and Conflict in the Middle East 1945-95. Less than 2% (4,228) of all students studied these topics at GCSE. For the purposes of this comparison we have classified Russian history as European history.

What happened to the empire?

It’s not just black history that is missing. Despite the Conservative party’s enthusiasm for “imperial heroes” , there is very little coverage of the empire in GCSE history lessons.

Although British historymakes up the vast majority of what pupils study at GCSE history, modules focusing on empire make up a small proportion of that.

Allowing that students study four modules, we calculated that only 9% (about 23,676 pupils) have studied modules that make significant reference to the British empire over the course of their two-year GCSE.

That is fewer than one in 10 learning about one of the most significant periods in British history over the past four centuries.

Of the eight modules that cover the British empire: only one tackles the subject directly, OCR’s the Impact of Empire on Britain 1688-c.1730. Three reference empire in relation to migration in Britain; one covers it in a general 1,200-year overview of warfare; and two reference empire in short period studies of the UK: Britain in Peace and War 1900-18, and Restoration England 1660-85.

In the syllabus for the most popular exam board, Edexcel, only one module, British America 1713–83: Empire and Revolution, makes a significant reference to the British empire. However, it is entirely focused on British colonisation of the US. A passing reference is made to Sir Walter Raleigh’s failed colonisation of Virginia in the module Early Elizabethan England 1558-88.

In contrast, there are 21 modules on British history that make little to no reference to the empire.

Can ‘Hitler and the Henrys’ be taught differently?

Peter Mandler, a leading historian based at Cambridge University, characterised the traditional focus of British history as “ Hitler and Henrys ”, making reference to the focus on the Nazis and the Tudors.

Yet even within these “traditional” topics, Broomfield says a wide range of perspectives can be drawn out. “The Tudors and 1066 can be taught in a way that includes the non-white or immigrant people who participated in them, eg the black Tudors , the Jewish immigrants who came with William the Conqueror Indian Lascar sailors,” she says, citing a few examples from the OCR migration course that she teaches.

However, schools face two significant obstacles to reform: a shortage of money and a lack of time among teachers.

Broomfield says it is difficult to buy textbooks on a small departmental budget: “Textbooks are expensive. My budget is not huge – even for the OCR GCSE migration course you need four textbooks at £12-£13 each. And if you are teaching more than 100 pupils, that soon adds up.”

Another problem is teachers’ lack of knowledge, she says. “It’s maybe something that you have never studied before yourself, so, particularly if you’ve taught about life in Nazi Germany for the last 25 years, you’re not going to want to change that.”

But Broomfield urges teachers to instead see it as a way for pupils to connect history to the world around them, and to learn about new topics themselves.

“From a teacher perspective, I have found it endlessly fascinating to discover all these new and exciting stories,” she says. “If we don’t teach this history, we lose that knowledge and understanding of how rich and culturally diverse our society has been since the Romans.”

Additionally, a series of changes to the education system means the national curriculum is taught fully only in local authority-run state schools – but not in academies, free schools or private institutions.

Stennett says when history is taught well, it has a positive influence on BAME pupils. “People feel seen where they were not seen before,” she adds. “It gives them a sense of identity and belonging in the classroom.”

According to Olusoga, the erasure of black history in Britain is an intentional feature of racism that he traces to Enoch Powell, whose search for a pre-colonial white England discards 400 years of British history and skips back to before the Elizabethans.

Whatever the intention – the combination of curriculum setting by politicians, modules offered by exam boards and schools’ take-up of those modules means that for today’s students the erasure of black people’s centuries-long contribution to Britain remains. When asked whether the Department for Education was concerned about the low numbers studying either black history or the British empire, a spokesperson said: “The curriculum in our schools is already incredibly diverse and offers pupils access to different black history topics across all key stages, teaching children about significant figures from black and ethnic minority backgrounds to help them learn about our shared history with countries from across the world.”

A letter to Stennett from Nick Gibb, the minister for school standards, seen by the Guardian, reiterates areas where it is possible to study black history in the current history curriculum but rejects a request by the Black Curriculum to make it mandatory.

Free black history wallchart

Starting on Saturday 11 July, the Guardian is publishing a free wallchart series giving a timeline of black history - from the first African Roman emperor in AD193, to the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020. In a total of six parts, it will show how the history of black people has impacted the world, and will help all of us understand how we got where we are today.

Notes on the data

Specific data about what history students learn at key stage 3 (aged 11-14) or in primary schools is not available. Within the curriculum laid out here for England’s key stage 3 , schools are allowed to teach what they want. Fewer than half of students doing GCSEs in England, 45%, take history. But it is only at this stage that we can get information on the topics studied. Scottish and Northern Irish exam boards were unable to provide details about the modules taken at GCSE/national 5 level.

GCSE specifications: AQA , Edexcel , OCR history A and OCR history B

• National curriculum
• Curriculums

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