Several of Wales’ most prominent historians are urging the Welsh Government to act
The teaching of Wales’ history is “inconsistent” across schools, the experts say(Image: David Williams/WALES NEWS SERVICE)
Too many children leave school with “at best limited knowledge and understanding of the history of their own nation,” many of Wales’ leading academics write in an open letter to the Welsh Government
The historians, educationalists and individuals prominent in public life in Wales are calling on new education minister Anna Brychan to make it a priority to address the issue.
They write: “This is not a marginal issue. It goes to the very heart of what education should provide as an entitlement to our young people: a sense of place, identity and belonging, alongside the knowledge and skills to engage critically with the wider world.
“At present, the provision of Welsh history within schools is inconsistent and, in many cases, very limited.”
The three academics leading the campaigner are Professor Martin Johnes of Swansea University, Professor David Egan of Cardiff Met, and Dr Huw Griffiths of the University of Wales Trinity St David.
The other signatories include Professor Sir Deian Hopkin, Professor Angela John, Professor Manon Jones, Professor Chris Evans, Professor Huw Pryce, Professor Louise Miskell, Dr Steve Thompson, Dr Darren Chetty. In total, nearly 60 academics and figures in public life have signed the letter.
The academics are critical both of the current GCSE History qualification and the plans to change it as part of the new Curriculum for Wales, which they say does not encourage the teaching of Welsh history in sufficient breadth.
They write: “While the Curriculum for Wales aspires to ensure that learners experience Welsh history, it does not define what this should mean in practice.
“The result is a system in which coverage varies widely between schools. In some cases, Welsh history is embedded meaningfully and taught in imaginative ways. But in others, it is touched upon only superficially, or not at all.
This creates an unacceptable “postcode lottery” in the historical knowledge with which pupils leave our schools.
“The situation is particularly concerning at GCSE level. Currently, only a small proportion of the History GCSE focuses on Wales, significantly less than in comparable qualifications in the other UK nations.
“The new GCSE History specification, due to be introduced this September, risks compounding this problem. While it includes opportunities to study Welsh history, its structure and the way choices are configured mean that, in practice, most schools are unlikely to teach modern Welsh history in any breadth.
“Without revision, this qualification will continue to undermine the very aspiration to place Welsh history at the centre of learners’ experience.”
The letter also argues that teachers need better support, training and educational materials to enable them to teach the history of Wales.
The academics write: “Curriculum reform alone will not be sufficient. Teachers across both the primary and secondary sectors face significant challenges in delivering Welsh history effectively.
Many have not had the opportunity to study Welsh history in depth themselves, and often lack the time, resources and professional support needed to develop new curricula under the current framework.
“For this reason, we believe there must be a renewed national commitment to professional learning in Welsh history. Teachers in Wales should be supported through high-quality pedagogical training and subject-specific development, enabling them to teach Welsh history with confidence and depth.
“This should include the establishment of structured programmes and potentially a dedicated national centre to support the upskilling of teachers and the sharing of best practice.”
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “This new government is reviewing the curriculum to ensure schools have clear guidance to teach Welsh history, which is already a mandatory part of the curriculum, in greater depth and in ways that reflect its importance to our national story. Understanding Wales’s history is essential to giving young people the confidence to play a full part in Welsh society.
“Adnodd, the organisation tasked with developing resources for schools, are already working with historians in creating resources. We will also work with Dysgu to understand what professional learning needs to be developed in this area.”
The letter in full:
Dear Minister for Education,
We write as historians, educators and academics from across Wales to express our deep concern about the current state of Welsh history within our education system, and to call for urgent and meaningful action.
Whilst the full situation in our schools and colleges is unclear, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that too many pupils in Wales are leaving education with only a limited understanding of the history of their own nation.
This is not a marginal issue. It goes to the very heart of what education should provide as an entitlement to our young people: a sense of place, identity and belonging, alongside the knowledge and skills to engage critically with the wider world.
At present, the provision of Welsh history within schools is inconsistent and, in many cases, very limited. While the Curriculum for Wales aspires to ensure that learners experience Welsh history, it does not define what this should mean in practice.
The result is a system in which coverage varies widely between schools. In some cases, Welsh history is embedded meaningfully and taught in imaginative ways. But in others, it is touched upon only superficially, or not at all. This creates an unacceptable “postcode lottery” in the historical knowledge with which pupils leave our schools.
The situation is particularly concerning at GCSE level. Currently, only a small proportion of the History GCSE focuses on Wales, significantly less than in comparable qualifications in the other UK nations. The new GCSE History specification, due to be introduced this September, risks compounding this problem.
While it includes opportunities to study Welsh history, its structure and the way choices are configured mean that, in practice, most schools are unlikely to teach modern Welsh history in any breadth. Without revision, this qualification will continue to undermine the very aspiration to place Welsh history at the centre of learners’ experience. We therefore call on the new Welsh Government to pause and review the new GCSE History specification before its implementation.
However, curriculum reform alone will not be sufficient. Teachers across both the primary and secondary sectors face significant challenges in delivering Welsh history effectively. Many have not had the opportunity to study Welsh history in depth themselves, and often lack the time, resources and professional support needed to develop new curricula under the current framework. For this reason, we believe there must be a renewed national commitment to professional learning in Welsh history.
Teachers in Wales should be supported through high-quality pedagogical training and subject-specific development, enabling them to teach Welsh history with confidence and depth. This should include the establishment of structured programmes and potentially a dedicated national centre to support the upskilling of teachers and the sharing of best practice.
Alongside this, there is an urgent need to work with teachers and others to develop and disseminate high-quality teaching resources. These should include not only classroom materials, but also exemplar curricula that demonstrate how Welsh history can be taught coherently across different age groups and stages. Such resources must reflect the richness and diversity of Wales’s past, its social, economic and political development; its bilingual and multicultural character; and its place within a wider global context. It should allow for the study of the history of women, multi-ethnicity, sport, music and popular culture.
Understanding Welsh history is not about promoting any single political viewpoint. It is about ensuring that young people are equipped with the knowledge to understand their society, their communities and their place within them. It is also central to fostering engagement with the Welsh language, culture and civic life. As has been argued before, Wales is the home of its learners and a map of their past should be as familiar to them as the way home from school. The Curriculum for Wales presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to realise this vision. But without clearer expectations, stronger support for teachers, and a reformed qualifications framework, that opportunity risks being lost.
We therefore urge the new Welsh Government to:
Support research to monitor and evaluate how Welsh history is being taught across schools and colleges.Establish a meaningful, specific and consistent entitlement to Welsh history for all learners;Direct Dysgu to prioritise professional learning to ensure that teachers are equipped to teach Welsh history effectively;Enable teachers and others to develop and provide high-quality, accessible teaching resources and exemplar curricula;Pause and review the new GCSE History specification to ensure it strengthens, rather than diminishes, the place of Welsh history;
If we are serious about creating an education system that reflects the needs and identity of Wales, then the history of Wales must be at its core. As Gwyn Alf Williams once reminded us, there is no historical necessity for Wales, if we want Wales, we must make Wales. Ensuring that our young people understand their past is one of the most powerful ways we can do so.
The full list of signatoriesDr Huw Griffiths, University of Wales Trinity Saint DavidProfessor David Egan, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityProfessor Martin Johnes, Swansea UniversityProfessor Sir Deian Hopkin, Retired Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President, LlafurSir Wayne David, Fellow of Cardiff UniversityProfessor Helen Fulton, University of BristolProfessor Angela V. John, President of Llafur, the Welsh People’s History SocietyProfessor Manon Jones, Bangor UniversityProfessor Chris EvansProfessor Huw Pryce, Bangor UniversityProfessor Louise Miskell, Swansea UniversityDr Martyn ThomasDr Steve Thompson, Head of the Department of History and Welsh History, Aberystwyth UniversityDr Darren Chetty, University College LondonDr Chris Turner, formerly Cardiff UniversityDr Ryland Wallace, Coleg GwentDr Eryn White, Reader in Welsh History, Aberystwyth UniversityDr Mari Elin Wiliam, Bangor UniversityDr Karianne Robinson, Lancaster UniversityDr Aled Eirug, Chair, Coleg Cymraeg CenedlaetholDr Rhodri Evans, Aberystwyth UniversityDr Neil Evans FRHistS, Honorary Research Fellow, Bangor UniversityDr Kevin Smith, Reader in Education, Cardiff UniversityDr Jeremy Gass, RetiredDr Elin Jones, Former History Officer, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for WalesDr David Ceri Jones, Reader in Early Modern History, Aberystwyth UniversityDr Marion Löffler, Reader in Welsh History and History, Cardiff UniversityDr Gethin Matthews, Swansea UniversityDr Kate North, Reader in Creative Writing, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityDr Rhys OwensDr Martyn Thomas, Cardiff University AlumnusDr Rhun Emlyn, Aberystwyth UniversityDr Christine Chapman, Women’s Archive Wales, and Former Assembly MemberDr Martin Wright, Cardiff UniversityDavid Barnes FRHistSGwilym Dyfri Jones, Former Provost, University of Wales Trinity Saint DavidCatherine Boswell, Retired AcademicAnn Keane, HM Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales (Retired)Meilyr Rowlands, HM Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales (Retired)Stuart Broomfield, Treasurer, Welsh Heritage Schools InitiativeCatrin Stevens, Women’s Archive Wales, Welsh Heritage Schools InitiativeJoanne CoddMyrddin ap Dafydd, Former ArchdruidMs Katrina GassJoan Goatcher, RetiredRachael Harman, Aberystwyth UniversityDavid HughesNia Lynn Powell Jones, Bangor UniversityDarren Macey, Operational Manager, Rhondda Cynon Taf HeritageDavid Maddox, President, Welsh Heritage Schools InitiativeSharon Morgan, Actress and Writer; BA History, Cardiff UniversityAlun MorganStephen Parry-Jones, Retired Deputy Headteacher and Seren CoordinatorDavid A. Pretty, Retired History TeacherIan Rees, Chair of Llafur: The Welsh People’s History SocietyMs M. RichardsSian RoderickJenny Sabine, Women’s Archive WalesJohn Osmond, Former Director, Institute of Welsh AffairsScott Thomas, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council / Welsh Language Strategy CoordinatorBarbara StreetWill McClean, ADEW, Strategic Director, Children, Learning, Skills and Economy
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