Child learning about slavery in primary school during Black History Month

[mamaM0]

Don't really know where to begin with this but... DD got homework which included a BHM theme as main part of English section.
They were given a timeline of "historic" events and asked to put them in correct order, there were at least 3 "events" referring to the transatlantic slave trade; Europeans "buying and selling of African slaves" , "the abolition of slavery act" and "slavery becoming illegal in the British Empire".
DD is in Y3.
I was not expecting these highly complex subjects to be taught in primary school let alone be rolled out in such a crude, crass way.
My heart is heavy with this subject matter and I feel the school could've taken a much more sensitive approach - better yet, focus on positive historic BH themes to actually inspire the kids - which is why it was created in the first place; to shine a light on black people too often portrayed as negative in western societies.
I'm posting this because I am in shock! And would like to know if this is being taught in your DC's primary schools? If so how have you approached it?
Is this normal?
My DH has refused to allow our DD to complete the homework.

Slavery is a very complex subject, with far from a straightforward narrative but they have to start somewhere.

With history in schools they tend to visit the same topic more than once, building on the knowledge as they grow older. The very basic knowledge that European nations were heavily involved in the forcible transportation of human beings from Africa to the americas, and once there sold them to European origin landowners to work on plantations needs to be taught. The basic fact that it was Africans that captured traded the slaves to the shipping companies explains where they came from.

My DD's were quite upset by it when young and we looked up more information at home - they were insistent that it wasn't right to sell humans (very true!) so it was a learning point that humans did bad things in the past (too young for modern slavery topics). They also studied positive role models like Mary Secole in primary.

We can't not teach these things because some households do not explore these themes with their children. My children knew about the holocaust (been to sites in Germany) from tiny for instance but some of their friends only learned about it at school. I've never shyed away from different teaching moments (I homeschooled at one point) but schools assume the children learn nothing at home

it Is of course interesting that none of us were shocked that the Romans kept slaves and that we all probably learned about that at school. Most of them were worked to death in mines or killed horribly. The same went on in Africa where human sacrifice of slaves was a regular feature of life. In recent years the transatlantic slave trade has become a hot topic ironically because it was banned as immoral and monstrous!

This has been interesting. Your comment above is brilliant and I'm going to use it to speak to my child about this issue. I don't expect the education system to teach anything "properly" with nuance or context that's well thought out. I trust them with the basics and that's it. I'd say all topics like this are our area to teach our children. I only even sent my child to school for the social aspect and she's well ahead being home educated beforehand.

This is the type of stuff I'll broach with her next year but we'll be showing her talks by Akala and interesting stuff that you wouldn't find on the curriculum. I don't think our government wants us all well educated and knowledgeable about complex things. Can't really concentrate on menial jobs if you're mind's hungry for in depth historical information.

I don't remember having any education on slavery in school. Makes me think it must have just been drip-fed. It's strange, it's like I've always known about it, always been something that happened, I mean it's pretty traumatic to just have it introduced to you as a shock. So I wonder if it's a good thing to drip feed it in a gentle way? And then we as parents make sure they know the truth. I don't think it's possible for school to teach it properly, logistically, you'd have to have at least a whole day on it which in itself would be traumatic?

@Kellie45

All African nations are colonial inventions , so to talk of Nations trading with the British is nonsense. Pre colonial Africa had thousands of Kingdoms that bear no relation to the post colonial nations of todays .

Secondly it’s complete bollocks to state The British were trying to stop slavery and that’s why they burnt Benin kingdom to ground, killed thousands and robbed every piece of gold and bronze they could lay their white hands on.

I studied history at Cambridge and did much research on Empire, so yes I do know that period of history and to say the British expedition was - to put down the slave trade - is complete bollocks.

You insist about what about to downplay British slavery, it won’t wash- Britain traded slaves longer than the period it was made illegal to this very date today, we only paid off the biggest loan made by the treasury to compensate slave owners in 2015- my salary tax went towards paying fucking slave traders off!

That wealth still circulates today, it’s impact is real and alive , unlike the Roman slave trade which happened in ancient fucking history , FFS

@Kellie45 not sure why you’re trying to downplay the slave trade by for example saying lots of children died in the industrial revolution. We learnt both at school and I’m assuming so did you. Most schools do more than one history lesson over 11 or 13 years. Just sounds like apologist stuff for white people with some kind of right wing political agenda that talks up white Brits as generally “goodies” even when they were the opposite. And I say that as a white person.

Maybe because slavery in primary school is designated to black history month while other topics get the full teaching. They all deserve the same amount of effort and time.

Can get an eye roll. And your point in relation to the OP's point is?

Very true, good point

I work in a primary school and black history begins to be taught in yr3/4. Although a tricky subject, the children are incredibly mature when discussing the history of slavery. My own DC in a different school also did the same in Yr 3 as we were homeschooling during covid at the time.

You are writing complete nonsense. Britain was the one European country that sought to abolish the slave trade. You have been taught a typical load of eye wash. Some of us have actually visited these places and done our own research, have you?

My dc grew up in West Africa. There was never a time they didn't know about slavery. Visits to the 'castles' were primary school stuff.

I think the transatlantic slave trade is as fundamental to understanding history as WW2, or the Greeks or Romans.

I see your point, though, OP. We don't teach the holocaust in primary school. The Roman syllabus is light on the realities of conquest and oppression. And there are plenty of positive messages to send about black leaders, writers, scientists, cultural icons, etc.

The op is actually right. The only way the abolition of the slave the trade happened or was agreed upon was because of dwindling markets and rebellions happening. slave owners were losing capital already.

It's been a long time since I was in primary school but we definitely learned about the Holocaust. Is it not still on the curriculum?

Wow, so not only are you a rampant homophobe but you also come on the black mumsnetters forum to lecture people about slavery. Why doesn't that surprise me?

The Castles are grim places. I have seen them first hand. As you say, we tend to be very light on the horrors of Roman slavery. Or WW2. Or our own shame about the factories in industrial Britain.

There is a disconnect between African children learning about slavery and black children in the diaspora. Slavery is received differently, and it affects children differently as they grow up.

In Y6, there is some coverage (Anne Frank, for example). Not in the (typically) Y4 unit, which is more about the home front experience.

I'm trying to remember the age recommendation for going into the Holocaust section at the Imperial War Museum, but fairly sure it is post-primary.

My kids are teenagers now but they definitely learned about the Holocaust in year 4 or 5 (so around 9 or 10 years old)
So as far as I know it's definitely still on the curriculum unless it's recently changed

I can see your issue with teaching it, and I think your concerns are valid about the topic. But not about the homework. That's just ridiculous. The homework is clearly a consolidation exercise of what has already been seen in class. You're acting like it's the lesson and that'll be all they'd have done, which would be really weird teaching.

YABVU to assume this is not being taught in an age-appropriate manner. And your DH is being an idiot.

Totally disagree OP.
What kids learn in primary school will be simplistic because they are children. You are not going to teach them that about black women being raped by white masters. But they should know slavery existed and what the term means. As they get older they learn more about the realities.
This is how every history subject is taught at primary school. Children learning about evacuees during the war are learning a very simplistic view of a major war in which millions of people died, but that is because they are children.

I don't think learning about it simplistically over a period of time can be a good thing, a drip feed approach could do more damage than good as at this stage children are less likely to question what they are being taught and are more accepting of information as fact, internalising information in such a lazy albeit crass way in the hopes of what?

I'm quite shocked that you believe that primary schoolchildren internalise in a lazy and crass way. On that basis presumably they should be taught no history at all because they shouldn't do it simplistically, in fact there's not much of the curriculum they can be taught beyond basic literacy and numeracy.

I'm not saying you are wrong - every school is different. Maybe they went full into the topic. In the 4 UK schools I have taught in, the holocaust is barely mentioned until Y6, and then quite sensitively.

I suspect your dc were taught about the holocaust in Y4 or 5 the way the OP's child is being 'taught' about the salve trade - a few bare facts and dates. Which, fair enough, these are young children.

By the way, for those with older dc - the IWM's Holocaust Galleries are shocking but very worth a visit. They are for 14+.