Leadership and curriculum: embedding teaching and learning about the Holocaust in schools in Scotland

Unlike in England where, the Holocaust has been a compulsory part of the History curriculum for Key Stage 3 since 1991, the Holocaust is not mandatory in the Scottish curriculum. Therefore, Teaching and Learning about the Holocaust (TLH) in Scotland relies on the commitment of individual teachers and/ or schools. Factors that impact on TLH in Scotland are the Citizenship and Equalities priorities within its flexible curriculum that encourages Interdisciplinary Learning (IDL), annual commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day, and teacher and pupil participation (since 2007) in the Lessons from Auschwitz Project (LFA) (Cowan & Maitles, 2010, 2015). This paper identifies approaches to embedding TLH in mainstream secondary schools in Scotland accredited by the Vision School Scotland (VSS) programme and presents evidence drawn from online application documentation from successful schools in this programme which were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings were that leadership from staff and pupils are significant to its delivery, and that while Nazi antisemitism is included in TLH programmes, contemporary antisemitism is largely not taught or discussed at a class or school level. This has practical implications for schools aiming to develop ‘best practices’ in delivering TLH.