We welcome chief inspector Christine Gilbert’s statement that “a history curriculum that is inclusive and reflects the unity and diversity of the UK and respects the stories of different people is a desirable aim”. Including a global dimension in teaching demands active learning and critical thinking approaches which Ofsted has sometimes found lacking.

A stronger global dimension can help to address Ofsted’s concern that “the topics teachers choose to emphasise are not necessarily those that will help young people to understand the contemporary world”.

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority’s new secondary curriculum has the potential to act as a framework for great improvements in history (and all subjects) if (and it’s a big if) it is not compromised by conflicting pressures on schools. This is the real challenge for the Brown government.

* www.globaldimension.org.uk

Hetan Shah

Director,

Development Education Association,

London