Why schools must update their history

History in secondary schools needs a "complete overhaul", a major report urges today.

Teenagers must be discouraged from dropping the subject before they are 16, according to the Historical Association.

GCSE and A-level history papers have "serious flaws" and must be reformed, the association warns.

Former Education Secretary Charles Clarke ordered the review in response to concerns that secondary school history was dominated by lessons on Hitler.

Reports have repeatedly warned that pupils do not spend enough time on British history, including studying the British Empire.

The Historical Association, which represents teachers in schools and universities, will publish its full Curriculum Project report next month.

Recommendations include a call for teachers to undergo fresh training so they can cover a broader range of topics.

But the report stops short of calling for history to be compulsory until age 16, as the Tories have.