Today’s Education in the Media blog looks at the presence of black history in the National Curriculum, and the new EPI report on University Technical Colleges.
Black History
Today, Thursday 11 October, the Opposition issued a press release, calling for black history to be taught in the National Curriculum. This was covered by the Independent, the Telegraph, the Mirror and the Daily Mail.
The current National Curriculum already offers schools the chance to cover significant figures and events in black history, inside and outside of the United Kingdom.
In addition, within the subject of Citizenship at key stage 4, pupils should be taught about the diverse national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the UK and the need for mutual respect and understanding.
A Department for Education spokesperson said:
We expect all schools to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, learning about different cultures and how they have shaped national and international events, which includes black history.
The National Curriculum provides a number of opportunities to focus on black history by learning about Rosa Parks, Mary Seacole and the impact on society of the migration of people to, from and within the British Isles.
You can read our national curriculum publication here for more information.
University Technical Colleges
Today, Thursday 11 October, the Education Policy Institute published a new report on University Technical Colleges (UTCs) and their performance. This was covered by the Times.
A Department for Education spokesperson said:
We have a diverse education system and University Technical Colleges are an important part of that, with the best providers teaching people the skills and knowledge that will help them secure good jobs in specialist technical sectors.
Our most recent data shows that when young people leave a UTC they are headed in the right direction – with twice as many Key Stage 4 students beginning an apprenticeship compared to the national average. At Key Stage 5, this figure is three times as high as pupils from other state-funded schools.
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