Scottish Conservatives support RSE calls for review of teaching of history in schools

Scottish Conservatives are supporting calls from the Royal Society of Edinburgh for a review of the teaching of History in schools.

Liz Smith MSP, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education & Lifelong Learning, said:

"This is a very important report which comes at a critical moment in time for curriculum development in Scottish schools.

"History, as a discrete secondary school subject, has been under threat for some time and the RSE is right to raise concerns that there could be further threats imposed by some aspects of the Curriculum for Excellence.

"Understanding history is an essential part of everyone's education but the Royal Society of Edinburgh is rightly questioning whether enough schools are providing adequate space for history in the secondary timetable. There are worries that the approach to the subject is not sufficiently rigorous when it comes to presenting pupils with a wide range of knowledge of the chronology of historical events both in terms of Scottish history and British, European and World history. The Society has also rightly questioned whether there is sufficient balance within current history teaching resources and whether there are sufficient numbers of specialist history teachers in schools.

"Scottish Conservatives used two recent parliamentary debates to raise these issues and, on the back of this investigative report, I have laid further parliamentary questions.

"The teaching of history must not lose its status in Scottish Schools"

Below are the questions Liz Smith MSP has tabled

TATSE whether it is concerned about the decrease in the number of Principal Teachers of History in state funded secondary schools?

TATSE whether it is concerned by the findings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh that there is insufficient balance of subject knowledge within the history curriculum in Scottish schools?

TASTE given the importance the Scottish Government has attached to the teaching of History in schools, does the Government agree with the conclusions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh's Advice Paper (11-01) which states that there should be a review of the current teaching and learning resources for History?

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