74% of UK adults think that schools should be teaching children how to debate controversial conflicts in the classroom
A new YouGov survey, commissioned by educational charity Parallel Histories, has found that an overwhelming majority (74%) of UK adults believe that schools should be teaching children how to debate controversial conflicts in the classroom.
A controversial conflict is defined as a history that remains divisive and where there are two distinct and conflicting historical narratives about an event or topic. Examples include the history of Northern Ireland, the Union of England and Scotland, the formation of the British Empire and, most topically, the Israel-Palestine conflict and the war in Ukraine.
This important finding comes in the wake of 2024’s Khan Review into social cohesion and democratic resilience which found that many schools have reluctantly shut down classroom conversations about controversial conflicts.
The survey of over 2500 UK adults also found that over a third (35%) of those who are parents of secondary school children say that their child or children are getting news about controversial conflicts from social networks.
A further 44% of the same parents say that they are worried about the information their child or children see about controversial conflicts.
These new findings chime with the results of last year’s Ofcom reports which revealed that 59% of parents of children aged between 3-17 are concerned about their child being influenced by extreme views online, and that 82% of young people aged 16-24 are relying on social media rather than more credible online sources for all their news.
Taken together, the findings corroborate the growing cross-party support for giving children and young people robust and accurate information about controversial conflicts, along with the skills to safely navigate discussions about them.
Parallel Histories’ resources and debates help schools to do just that by educating children about the historical roots of a conflict – encouraging them to explore each side as each side tells it and to disrupt stereotypes and challenge preconceptions.
Today, the pioneering educational charity is calling on Government and senior school leaders to do much more to encourage the teaching of controversial conflicts at school.
The charity is also calling on policy makers to include the teaching of controversial conflicts as part of the school curriculum and assessment review.
Commenting, Parallel Histories CEO and former Labour Education Minister Bill Rammell said:
“These are challenging times for our world with age old conflicts raging across the globe, reigniting division and discord.
“It can be overwhelming for us all but is particularly challenging for children and young people.
“It is clear that there is a real and pressing need for children to have one overriding reliable and evidence-based source of information on controversial conflicts – the classroom.
“Our impartial resources and debates are there to help schools to teach children about the historical roots of a conflict.
“We encourage them to navigate sensitive topics by going back to historical sources and give them the skills to explore each side’s position with tact and respect.
“Since 2017, our materials and debates have been used by many educational institutions across the UK with our engagement growing from 104 schools in 2019 to 1660 today – but there is much more to do.
“That’s why we are calling on Government and senior school leaders to go much further to encourage the study of and engagement with controversial conflicts in the classroom.
“In an age where division and polarisation are everywhere and where empathy and understanding seem to be at a premium, this work is even more necessary than ever.”
