Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the case for increased understanding of disturbances in the Middle East, what action they are taking to promote the teaching of Middle Eastern studies in schools.

Information regarding the number of secondary schools in England that teach Middle Eastern studies is not held centrally. Information about the curriculum in Wales is held by the Welsh Government.

The government agrees that it is important that education supports the understanding of other cultures and beliefs and promotes greater tolerance.

The statutory citizenship curriculum at key stage 3 includes teaching pupils about diverse national, regional, religious and ethnic identities and the need for mutual respect and understanding. Religious education is a mandatory subject for all state funded schools, which aims to develop understanding and knowledge of religions, while promoting respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.

The department publishes GCSE subject content which sets out the knowledge, understanding and skills common to all GCSE specifications in a given subject. It provides the framework within which exam boards create the detail of their specifications. The GCSE subject content for history and geography include scope for studying wider world settings, and the national curriculum is flexible enough to allow for teaching of Middle Eastern history, although this is not a compulsory requirement.