'Disbelief and outrage' among history teachers over planned revamp of Northern Ireland curriculum
A group of history teachers in Northern Ireland have reacted with “disbelief and outrage” to plans to rewrite the history curriculum in Northern Ireland.
In essence, they are that they are being asked to cram too much into their teaching.
The Department of Education has responded by saying that the planned new curriculum aims to “strengthen both knowledge and critical thinking”, and that the changes are still out to consultation.
The News Letter had reported earlier in the month that, as part of the revamp, the history of the Troubles was being placed on all post-primary curriculums for the first time.
It is often already taught, but the department aims to make it mandatory.
A statement from the History Teachers Association of Northern Ireland (HTANI) is critical not of the Troubles plan in particular, but of the revamp of the curriculum as a whole, saying that a “strong backlash” has developed against it.
Its statement was issued by Dr Alice Johnson of Queen's University Belfast’s Institute of Irish Studies, who told the News Letter that under the plans the Troubles is “just one bullet point among many and risks, like all the other topics, being taught superficially with no time to reflect, dig deep, or understand”.
She added that “there is a lot of outrage and disbelief about just how bad this curriculum looks and how it could damage the subject”.
The chairman of HTANI Denver Charles said “teachers believe that the new curriculum is content-heavy and incoherent”, with Key Stage 3 alone including over 60 bullet points covering over 900 years of history.
All of this leaves teachers little discretion to choose which topics to focus on, says the HTANI.
Dr Alan McCully, formerly a senior lecturer in education in Ulster University, said the plans for Key Stage 3 read like “a relentless charge through the centuries”.
Meanwhile John Wishart, head of history at Belfast High School, said: “These proposals seem to be more a splurge of events to cram into the heads of young people, like something out of Dickens’ classic Hard Times.
“We cannot ‘stuff their heads full of facts’.
"We stand to lose the joy and understanding of history by the sheer scale and complexity of what is proposed.”
The Department of Education responded by saying the consultation into the changes is still going on.
It said that the proposed history curriculum “was developed by the History Subject Working Group, which includes serving teachers, university academics and subject specialists”, and that it “welcomes engagement from the HTANI” on possible “refinements”.
"History is not currently taught as a standalone subject in primary school, and the current Key Stage 3 curriculum contains very little prescribed content, leading to significant variation in pupils' knowledge and understanding,” said the department.
The new curriculum will give “a clearer framework” to teachers, while “retaining professional discretion”.
"No decisions have yet been taken on the final curriculum,” it concluded.
"All consultation responses will be carefully considered, and officials will continue to engage with representative bodies such as the HTANI throughout the process.
"All interested stakeholders are encouraged to submit their views before the consultation closes on September 30, 2026."
To respond, go here: www.education-ni.gov.uk/consultations/consultation-northern-ireland-curriculum-2028 or e-mail [email protected] .