Plummeting popularity has led to the withdrawal of history as a course option at Standard grade for pupils currently in S2 at St Mungo’s High in Falkirk.

Anyone wanting to do history at Higher in 2010 will have to follow the course at a neighbouring school, although Falkirk Council promises Higher history will be reintroduced at St Mungo’s in 2011-12.

Until August last year, the school had two history teachers for senior pupils, but following the retiral of one, and a significant decline in uptake of history by senior pupils in recent years, the senior management team decided to “take a step back” and examine ways of reinvigorating the teaching of history under A Curriculum for Excellence.