'Alf Wilkinson , the head of the Historical Association, said it was
probably true that children knew less about history than their
counterparts did in the 1960s and 1970s. This did not means that
standards of teaching had plummeted . "Ofsted repeatedly finds that
the teaching of history is often of a higher standard than any other
subject. There is much emphasis on the skill of weighing up information
and unravelling spin as there is on knowing dates. What does it matter
if they don't know the dates of the battle of Trafalgar if they know
where to find the information?"' (Sunday Telegraph 8 5 2005).

That epitomises everything which is wrong with history teaching in
particular and English education in general. It is the replacement of
learning by training in function. Until someone has a subject firmly in
their head they will never understand it. RH

RH