History is being marginalised and is in danger of losing its identity as a subject because many schools teach it as part of fashionable “themes” that cut across many different subjects, an official report has warned.
The inquiry by Ofsted, the schools inspectorate, found one school in which pupils were not even aware that the ancient Greeks were part of history because they had been included in a topic lesson cutting across several subjects.
Independent and state schools increasingly teach history as part of general topics, such as water, or in combined classes with geography.
Michael Gove, the education secretary, has ordered a review of the national curriculum, which he wants to put a renewed emphasis on traditional narrative history.
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Ofsted finds that most history teaching is strong, but that in a minority of schools “topic work is endangering the integrity and identity of history as a subject”. It finds that only 30% of mainstream state school pupils took history GCSEs last year, compared with 48% in independent schools, but just 20% in academies.
Ofsted highlights the Opening Minds curriculum, produced by the Royal Society of Arts, and New Basics, a package designed in Australia, as causing particular problems. Both emphasise teaching themes rather than separate subjects. The report says: “In seven of the 10 schools visited in which curriculum changes had been made, history ... had suffered.”
In some primary schools, teachers had only “hazy” and “limited” knowledge of history. There were particular problems identified in the teaching of 11 to 14-year-olds.
Christine Gilbert, the chief inspector of schools, said: “The report presents a positive picture of standards and teaching in history in school ... However, pupils need to experience history as a coherent subject.”