New report calls for action on teaching empire, migration and belonging in schools

In the context of ongoing public debates about Britain’s past, including the legacies of empire and their connections to migration and identity, the research examined how these themes are currently taught in schools and where further support for schools is needed.

Based on a large-scale national study led by researchers at the University of Oxford’s Department of Education and UCL’s Institute of Education, the Portrait EMB project draws on evidence from over 1,000 teachers and 3,000 students across England.

While 94% of teachers and 79% of students surveyed believe all young people should learn about Britain’s imperial past, only 16% of teachers feel that it is currently taught well enough in schools.

Dr Jason Todd, Co-Principal Investigator of the project, said: “Teaching about the British Empire, migration, and belonging is a core educational responsibility, vital to preparing young people for life in a diverse, democratic society.

“Until now, there has been no national evidence base to inform changes in policy around teaching about empire, migration and belonging. This report provides that evidence. Change depends on many people, not one part alone, and responsibility extends across the sector.”

The findings highlight a range of challenges facing teachers, including limited curriculum time, restricted access to appropriate resources, and uneven levels of confidence and training. Only 21% of teachers surveyed recalled receiving any specialist input on teaching about Britain’s Empire within their Initial Teacher Education.

The report also highlights the sensitive nature of the subject, with some staff carrying disproportionate representational and emotional burdens, and some not wanting to broach the topic out of fear of getting it wrong.

In response to these challenges, the report sets out a clear framework of school-based principles for curriculum, pedagogy and professional development, alongside recommendations for change across the education system.

These include reviewing subject content, building career-long professional development, and reviewing curriculum and assessment frameworks to support more inclusive and connected approaches. The report also recommends building partnerships with cultural and community organisations to connect students with histories of empire in their local communities, and enabling cross-subject curriculum planning to deepen understanding of shared themes.

The report calls on school leaders to enable time and training; exam boards to reframe GCSE and A-level specifications; policymakers to enable structural support; and teachers to collaborate, innovate and reflect on their practice.

This work was made possible through the support of Pears Foundation, whose commitment to fostering evidence-informed classroom practice, has enabled the research and its wider engagement.

The report was launched at an event in Oxford on 24 April, bringing together teachers, researchers and young people to discuss how the recommendations can be taken forward into practice.

Read the full report.