The history of the British Empire, migration and identity are fundamental to understanding Britain - not just its past but also how it links to modern events such as Brexit, the Windrush scandal of 2018 and the Black Lives Matter activism of 2020.

What’s more, anyone involved in education will have noticed calls from young people for our educational system to re-examine Britain’s relationship with its past and the role of the Empire in light of these events.

Many schools will have heeded that call and be working to engage pupils in these areas, but many others may not - a dichotomy amplified by the fact academy schools are not obliged to follow the national curriculum and so have discretion to decide what they teach and how.

This discretion is good for providing flexibility but this freedom also places teachers in a critically important position, one demanding not just knowledge of the complexity that sits at the heart of such a historical issue but one freighted with controversy in the present.

It also means it is hard to determine confidently what young people are learning on a wide scale and how it is being taught.

The need to know more

That is why a new research study I am co-leading, titled A portrait of the teaching of the British Empire, migration and belonging in English secondary schools”, and based at UCL and the University of Oxford, feels like such a timely and important initiative.

This research study will provide a robust empirical base from which to understand what views and practices exist in our schools (among teachers and students) and to more fully appreciate the context in which these views and practices exist (eg, curriculum, policy, community).

Based on these findings, the research will then consider and identify ways to support teachers via continuing professional development for teaching and learning in relation to the themes of the project.

This a key for the project and seeks to emulate the same approach taken by the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education, which has shown that giving teachers access to scholarship, and helping them identify and anticipate the prior understandings and potential preconceptions learners may have about the topic, provides impactful professional development.

Early-stage research

As one of the first pieces of work for this project we are, this month, undertaking a national survey aimed at teachers in secondary school settings in England.

This survey has been developed (and piloted) with a range of stakeholders, including subject associations, to help in thinking about the design of professional development for teaching in relation to these complex and important themes.

As such, we hope that many teachers and schools will respond to the survey to help inform our research, and ensure their insights and opinions are heard.

The survey is just one element of this research - we are keen to hear and learn from teachers and we are keen to talk to young people. You can find out more about the different ways you can get involved on our website.

Ultimately, we think this project represents a tremendous opportunity to understand and shape the way young people engage with the enduring legacies and ongoing debates about the British Empire.

Given the complexity of the topics and the contested nature of many current debates, our desire is to offer nuance and illumination.

These potent legacies shape the lives of millions, deeply affecting our sense of identity and belonging. It is critical that we forge paths towards a better collective understanding of these subjects, however controversial.

Confident and informed teachers are, of course, central to this.

Dr Jason Todd is a departmental lecturer in the Department of Education at the University of Oxford

For the latest research, pedagogy and practical classroom advice delivered directly to your inbox every week, sign up to our Teaching Essentials newsletter