How much drama, how much history?

Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.

‘The biggest issue for school history is its limited place in the curriculum.' (Ofsted, 2007)

This central concern of Ofsted's 2007 report, History in the balance, could equally apply to the teaching of drama in primary schools. As an issue this is complicated by drama suffering from its own identity crisis: Is it a subject in itself or a tool through which to teach across the curriculum? Whilst this debate continues (see Fleming, 2003) and drama officially remains part of the English Curriculum, what potential is there for drama and history to support each other in the curriculum and, most importantly, provide meaningful and valuable learning experiences for pupils? Over five weeks of the summer term, it was the task of twenty-eight BA (Primary Teacher Education) students from Oxford Brookes University and ninety KS2 children to explore that possibility."