Academics call for Welsh history to have ‘greater prominence’ in school curriculum

Stephen Price

Three leading Welsh academics, supported by Welsh historians, educationalists and individuals prominent in public life in Wales have written an open letter to the Welsh Government’s new Minister of Education calling for Welsh history to have a more prominent place in the curriculum in Wales.

The academics contend that too many young people currently leave education with ‘at best’, a limited knowledge and understanding of the history of their own nation, contrasting with most other countries including the nations of the UK.

In their view this denies young people in Wales what should be their entitlement and detracts from their wider educational experiences.

The letter, written by Dr Huw Griffiths from University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Professor David Egan from Cardiff Metropolitan University and Professor Martin Johnes from Swansea University calls for a clear entitlement to Welsh history for all pupils, alongside improved teacher support, better resources, and a review of the new GCSE History specification, which risks further marginalising Welsh history.

They argue that greater prominence in the nation’s history offers a vital opportunity to ensure that in future young people in Wales gain “a meaningful understanding of their history, identity and place in the world”.

The letter to Anna Brychan MS, Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, reads: “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.”

The academics 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.

The letter concludes: “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 Welsh Government 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.”

Signatories

The complete list of historians, educators and academics who have endorsed and signed the letter are:

Dr Huw Griffiths, University of Wales Trinity Saint David
Professor David Egan, Cardiff Metropolitan University
Professor Martin Johnes, Swansea University

Professor Sir Deian Hopkin, Retired Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President, Llafur
Sir Wayne David, Fellow of Cardiff University
Professor Helen Fulton, University of Bristol
Professor Angela V. John, President of Llafur, the Welsh People’s History Society
Professor Manon Jones, Bangor University
Professor Chris Evans
Professor Huw Pryce, Bangor University
Professor Louise Miskell, Swansea University
Dr Martyn Thomas
Dr Steve Thompson, Head of the Department of History and Welsh History, Aberystwyth University
Dr Darren Chetty, University College London
Dr Chris Turner, formerly Cardiff University
Dr Ryland Wallace, Coleg Gwent
Dr Eryn White, Reader in Welsh History, Aberystwyth University
Dr Mari Elin Wiliam, Bangor University
Dr Karianne Robinson, Lancaster University
Dr Aled Eirug, Chair, Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol
Dr Rhodri Evans, Aberystwyth University
Dr Neil Evans FRHistS, Honorary Research Fellow, Bangor University
Dr Kevin Smith, Reader in Education, Cardiff University
Dr Jeremy Gass, Retired
Dr Elin Jones, Former History Officer, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales
Dr David Ceri Jones, Reader in Early Modern History, Aberystwyth University
Dr Marion Löffler, Reader in Welsh History and History, Cardiff University
Dr Gethin Matthews, Swansea University
Dr Kate North, Reader in Creative Writing, Cardiff Metropolitan University
Dr Rhys Owens
Dr Martyn Thomas, Cardiff University Alumnus
Dr Rhun Emlyn, Aberystwyth University
Dr Christine Chapman, Women’s Archive Wales, and Former Assembly Member
Dr Martin Wright, Cardiff University
David Barnes FRHistS
Gwilym Dyfri Jones, Former Provost, University of Wales Trinity Saint David
Catherine Boswell, Retired Academic
Ann 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 Initiative
Catrin Stevens, Women’s Archive Wales, Welsh Heritage Schools Initiative
Joanne Codd
Myrddin ap Dafydd, Former Archdruid
Ms Katrina Gass
Joan Goatcher, Retired
Rachael Harman, Aberystwyth University
David Hughes
Nia Lynn Powell Jones, Bangor University
Darren Macey, Operational Manager, Rhondda Cynon Taf Heritage
David Maddox, President, Welsh Heritage Schools Initiative
Sharon Morgan, Actress and Writer; BA History, Cardiff University
Alun Morgan
Stephen Parry-Jones, Retired Deputy Headteacher and Seren Coordinator
David A. Pretty, Retired History Teacher
Ian Rees, Chair of Llafur: The Welsh People’s History Society
Ms M. Richards
Sian Roderick
Jenny Sabine, Women’s Archive Wales
John Osmond, Former Director, Institute of Welsh Affairs
Scott Thomas, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council / Welsh Language Strategy Coordinator
Barbara Street
Will McClean, ADEW, Strategic Director, Children, Learning, Skills and Economy