As the Review has highlighted, the ability for young people to identify and challenge mis and disinformation is an increasing concern amongst parents, teachers and young people themselves. We agree with the Review that building media literacy and the skills for young people to critically engage with and assess information from a range of sources is increasingly important. We will therefore adopt the Review’s recommendations to strengthen media literacy through English, to enable young people to critically engage with the messages they encounter through different media channels, and to better specify media literacy within both the primary and secondary citizenship curricula. We will reform the English programme of study and the English language GCSE so that students learn to spot emotive language and study a range of transient texts. We will also go further and strengthen the critical understanding of evidence and sources inherent in history through the refreshed programme of study.

(P.25 government response to CAR)

History will play a role in the development of pupils’ digital and media literacy through the transference of skills that are learned through the critical analysis of historical sources as well as through the study and critical evaluation of digitised historical research such as databases, records and other digitised historical sources. Below you can find some of our articles, guides, webinars and resources related to digital and media literacy to support you in your planning.

Challenges to archives in the digital age – This 2011 piece from Dr. Nick Barratt was at the forefront of some of the early challenges presented by the development of digital archives.

The Bibliography of British and Irish History – The Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) is the most extensive guide available to published writing on British and Irish history. 

Blog off! Refreshing the public history blog – In this 2024 article, David Geiringer explores the power of the blog as a means of communicating history.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in primary history – take CARE! – In this article from Primary History, Ailsa Fidler and Simon Lea explore a framework for primary teachers to ensure safe use of AI in primary history.

Alan Turing – This 2013 article explores Alan Turing’s role as a major figure in the cracking of the Germans' Enigma code at Bletchley Park which could well have helped shortened World War II by a couple of years. The more general importance of his work in the history of computing and the Artificial Intelligence acknowledged.

Artificial intelligence’s ChatGPT program: a powerful tool for teaching 7- to 11-year-olds history – In this 2025 article, Jon Nichol explores how Chat GPT can be harnessed in the primary history classroom.

Recorded webinar: AI in primary history: a practical introduction – This 2026 webinar provides a practical introduction to AI in primary history with Glenn Carter. It is free to HA members and is taken from a full series of 5 webinars which are available on demand

Popular history: Using the media – In this 2011 article, Jane Shuter explores whether we should use television and media to teach primary history.

Printed pictures with text: Using cartoons as historical evidence – In this 2010 article, Jane Card explores the use of visual media in the form of cartoons as historical sources in the primary history classroom.

How can we make effective use of the census in the primary history classroom? – Much of the Census is now digitised along with ONS statistics. In this 2021 article, Tim Lomas explores the opportunities this provides for primary history.

How can old advertisements be used in the primary classroom? – In this 2018 Primary History article, Tim Lomas explores the value of old posters as visual media historical sources.