Following the recent Black Lives Matter protests, a light has been shone on the teaching of Black British history in the National Curriculum. Currently, schools are required to teach a ‘broad and balanced’ curriculum of which History is a compulsory subject between ages 5 and 14.

The Government have said that teachers should be able to use their own knowledge and expertise to determine how they teach their pupils, and to make choices about what they teach. As part of a broad and balanced curriculum, pupils should be taught about how different groups have contributed to the development of Britain, and this can include the voices and experience of Black people. I do not believe that this goes far enough.

I think the Government must improve the teaching of Black British history and the history of the British Empire, colonialism and slavery, to help ensure their legacy is widely understood by all children. It should ensure that all pupils are taught about slavery and the struggle for emancipation. Labour will continue to push this point on the Government.