Teaching About the Holocaust in English Secondary Schools: An empirical study of national trends, perspectives and practice

This research was commissioned by The Pears Foundation and the Department for Children,  Schools and Families (DCSF). The aims were to examine when, where, how and why the  Holocaust is taught in state-maintained secondary schools in England, and to inform the  design and delivery of a continuing professional development (CPD) programme for teachers  who teach about the Holocaust. A two-phase mixed methodology was employed. This  comprised an online survey which was completed by 2,108 respondents and follow-up  interviews with 68 teachers in 24 different schools throughout England.  The research reveals that teachers adopt a diverse set of approaches to this challenging and  complex subject. In the report, teachers’ perceptions, perspectives and practice are presented  and a range of challenges and issues encountered by teachers across the country are explicitly  identified. The research shows that, although most teachers believe that it is important to  teach about the Holocaust, very few have received specialist professional development in this  area. It also shows that many teachers find it a difficult and complicated subject to teach, and  that they both want and need support to better equip them to teach about the Holocaust  effectively.  The report is the largest endeavour of its kind in the UK in both scope and scale. The authors  hope it will be of considerable value to all those concerned with the advancement and  understanding of Holocaust education both in the UK and internationally