Please note: this article was written before the the 2014 National Curriculum and some content is now outdated, e.g. reference to the QCA. This article may therefore be more useful for those engaging in research than for practising teachers. See Primary History summer resource 2019: Diversity for current guidance. 

In a series of three articles Hilary Claire addresses fundamental issues about choice of themes, representation of diversity of experience, and the relationship between history teaching and personal, national and global identity. She explores the ‘hidden curriculum’ of choice and approaches within the history and explains how this can unintentionally mislead, lead to stereotypical views or marginalize the contributions of certain sectors of society. Her first article sets out three generic principles for planning, and offers examples from our own contemporary lives and the 1950s and 60s to illustrate the ideas raised. The second article reviews the principles and makes suggestions about implementation with respect to the Victorian Britain unit. The third article will draw on the units Britain and the Wider World in the Tudor Period, and the Ancient Greece unit to illustrate the third generic principle for planning.