Primary pupils may be taught to Twitter

Primary school pupils could be taught to master Twitter and Wikipedia instead of learning about history.

Former Ofsted chief Sir Jim Rose will present recommendations for revamping the primary curriculum to ministers next month.

His interim report in December said primary-age children need a greater understanding of information technology and it was today reported that Sir Jim's proposals will say they should be familiar with blogging, podcasts, Wikipedia and Twitter by secondary school.

The Guardian reported that schools would no longer be required to teach Victorian history or the Second World War but could still opt to include them.

Schools Minister Jim Knight said today: "Sir Jim Rose's report has not been completed let alone published yet but we are already getting stories about dropping this or removing that from the curriculum.

"We are working with experts to free up the curriculum in a way that teachers have asked us to do but British history has been and will always be a core part of education in this country.

"Of course pupils in primary school will learn about major periods including the Romans, the Tudors and the Victorians and will be taught to understand a broad chronology of major events in this country and the wider world."

Ministers will formally respond to the proposals when they are published next month. Sir Jim has said his aim is to create a "curriculum which is challenging and constantly enriches children's understanding, where they can apply knowledge and skills learnt in one subject to better understand another".