Colonialism and Slavery: Education

(asked on 24th November 2025) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the history of Britain's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism is accurately and thoroughly taught in schools.


Answered by
Georgia Gould Portrait
Georgia Gould
Minister of State (Education)
This question was answered on 2nd December 2025

The history curriculum includes a statutory time period at key stage 3 titled “ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745-1901” which includes the non-statutory example of Britain’s transatlantic slave trade. Due to the flexibility of the history curriculum, these topics can also be taught, where relevant, across the three key stages.

Schools can access resources from bodies such as Oak National Academy, the Historical Association and others to ensure their teaching is accurate and thorough.

In reforming the curriculum following the Curriculum and Assessment Review, we are clear that all pupils should have a robust understanding of our nation’s history.

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