Children studying in a clandestine school in the Kovno ghetto, Lithuania. USHMM, courtesy of Eliezer Zilberis 
A priest and several nuns pose with a group of children at a Franciscan convent school in Lomna, Poland where Jewish children were hidden during the German occupation. USHMM, courtesy of Lidia Kleinman Siciarz 
German passport for Hilde Schindler with the given middle name of Sara and stamped with J for Jude (Jew) Courtesy of the Jewish Museum London
Jewish children at the children’s home in Izieu, France. Soon afterwards they were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and murdered. Copyright © Yad Vashem 
Identity cards like this one were issued to all children who came to Britain with the 'Kindertransport', the organised groups of Jewish refugees who escaped from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia in 1938-9 Courtesy of the Jewish Museum London
CPD: Informed by Research
The CPD responds directly to the challenges raised by more than 2000 teachers across England in the HEDP's landmark research into Holocaust education, which surveyed teacher attitudes, perceptions and practices in schools across the country.
Significantly, this is the only research of its kind directly connected to a national teacher professional development programme. The HEDP is therefore one of the most far-reaching and ambitious programmes of teacher professional development in Holocaust education existing in the world today.
The development of the programme follows a cycle of research informed practice and evaluation which ensures that the CPD and the teaching and learning resources remain responsive to the needs of teachers and students.
Key findings
Despite the overwhelming number of teachers surveyed who believe that the Holocaust is an important topic, many said that they find it a difficult and complicated subject to teach effectively and need more professional development in Holocaust education.
[The Holocaust is] such an enormous thing. . . You know you can’t always explain to the kids how or why it happened... You know it but you can’t necessarily comprehend it.
(History teacher, East Midlands)
What does the Government want us to be teaching every child of this country? . . . What aspects are they wanting us to teach? What is the focus? . . . What is the outcome they want us to have with the students that we’re teaching? Is the outcome ... learning from the past or what we can learn in the future? . . . Or is it that they just want us to teach the facts, the figures?
(History teacher, London)
The research found that the focus of Holocaust education in the classroom tends to be narrow, underplaying the historical context which is so critical to understanding the events of this period. For example, teachers are more likely to focus simply on what the Nazis did rather than also exploring victims’ responses to persecution.
Some teachers demonstrate very detailed specialist subject knowledge of the Holocaust, but for many others, their knowledge of the Holocaust is largely informed by popular rather than academic sources.
There is considerable variation in approaches adopted to teaching this challenging and complicated topic in secondary schools. The Holocaust is taught across a number of different subject areas and the amount of time spent teaching about the Holocaust varies significantly.
The challenges faced by teachers cover a range of issues from lack of good age-appropriate materials and pressure on curriculum time, through to a lack of specialised knowledge and training around such a complex history.
You want to make an impact, but you don’t want to upset people [students] too much... They do get upset and then ...the bell will go... I don’t like sending them out in that kind of a mood. I feel very guilty and I wish I had another hour to say, ‘All right, why are you upset? Let’s have a look at it.
(RE teacher, North West)
Implications for schools
The report, ‘Teaching about the Holocaust in English Secondary Schools: An empirical study of national trends, perspectives and practice’ concluded that the requirement for professional development in the field of Holocaust Education needs to be implemented as a priority.
“The depths of the trauma of the Holocaust and the challenge that it poses to our understandings of human behaviour and society can make it daunting territory for teachers and students alike,” according to Paul Salmons, Head of Curriculum and Development.
Addressing the key challenges identified by teachers
The CPD programme has the potential to profoundly shape teaching and learning about the Holocaust. Places are available free of charge to every state secondary school in England and the workshops are delivered in venues across the country by world-recognised experts.
My aim and objective would be to give [my students] an understanding... of one of the most important events of the 20th century. Not only because it’s important in its own right but because of its impact on the world since. You can’t interpret the world without understanding the Holocaust.
(History teacher, London)