The Holocaust and Education for Citizenship: the teaching of history, religion and human rights in England

The importance of the Holocaust is undeniable. It seems that this truism has long been accepted by teachers and education policy makers. A superficial prediction would be that the Holocaust will continue to have both a high profile and a high status in the schools and colleges of England and Wales. However, on the basis of small‐scale work using data from teachers’ perceptions, we draw attention to certain problems in learning about the Holocaust and begin to suggest issues which should be investigated further. The issues which need further investigation are related to the possibilities that there may be too little time devoted to teaching about the Holocaust; the events of the Holocaust may sometimes be used as a mere context for understanding World War Two; teachers may not perceive the Holocaust as being significantly unique; teachers may not collaborate effectively; there may be a lack of clarity about the nature of the affective and cognitive aims of such work. (By the author)