1066 and all that

As we observe above, more and more pupils are leaving secondary school woefully deficient in basic maths and English. It is therefore hardly surprising that the successful study of history – which is, of course, hugely dependent on being able to read and write to a high level – is becoming less and less common.

In addition, the lack of importance accorded to history has been reinforced by school league tables which have been skewed towards giving greater significance to less academic subjects. To his credit, Mr Gove has begun to correct this through the baccalaureate system which rewards pupils for studying history as a core GCSE subject – indeed, since its introduction, the number of pupils taking history has risen by 26 per cent – but there is much still to do.

As Ofsted’s annual report pointed out earlier this week, one of the reasons why there are too many “coasting comprehensives” is that too few schools have outstanding teaching with the result that lessons become tedious and even the most gifted of teachers are inhibited by struggling to fit subjects into a crowded curriculum.

For Mr Gove at least, therefore, the lesson is clear: sort out the problems hampering secondary education and history – one of the most vital and exciting subjects when taught well – will look after itself.