Until the latter part of the 20th century, the teaching of Welsh history was predominantly taught from a British or Southern English perspective.
In recent decades, there has been a notable increase in emphasis on the teaching of Welsh history, a trend that has persisted into the 21st century.
As a result of the Welsh Intermediate Education Act of 1889, secondary provision in Wales far outstripped that in England before the Second World War.
In response, the Act created a system of publicly funded intermediate (selective secondary) schools in Wales along with a new system of local administration, and, in so doing, established a firm precedent for ongoing claims over the next century that Wales had distinct educational needs from those across the border.
History of the English curriculum was "largely British, or rather Southern English; Celts looked in to starve, emigrate or rebel; the North to invent looms or work in mills; abroad was of interest once it was part of the Empire; foreigners were either, sensibly allies, or, rightly, defeated.
Skills - did we even use the word?- were mainly those of recalling accepted facts about famous dead Englishmen, and communicated in a very eccentric literary form, the examination length essay.
In the late 70s and 80s, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education and the Welsh Office sponsored heritage and culture initiatives which also improved school resources.
The GCSE was introduced in 1986 and led to some development of Wales specific resources but Welsh history teaching was still not mandatory.
In 1989, the AHTW appointed the National Curriculum History Committee for Wales (HCW) under the chairmanship of Rees Davies.
Swansea University historian Martin Johnes added that "There is no guarantee that any pupil will learn about medieval conquest, the flooding of Tryweryn, the Second World War, the struggles for civil rights, or the rise of democracy."
Jones says that the main area to improve is to provide modern resources for teachers to better teach Welsh history.
[12] Gaynor Legall, of the history group The Heritage & Cultural Exchange had previously said to a Senedd Committee, “I want the kids who live in the docks…to know about north Wales…as much as I want the people in Harlech…to know about the docks and about the coal industry…because it’s about Wales.”[11] Elin Jones' book History Grounded was provided to all schools in Wales by the Welsh Government in early 2022 in time for the 2022/2023 academic year.
[13] Sian Gwenllian, the designated member from Plaid Cymru for the cooperation agreement, noted that Jones' book adds a "positive development" and will help to support teachers in teaching Welsh history.
"[13] According to some, there is a lack of investment and a skills gap when it comes to teaching Welsh history in both primary and secondary schools.
Education adviser Dr. Huw Griffiths has said that making Welsh history compulsory is a "game changer" but that there is insufficient resources for teachers in Wales.
I think the biggest thing that’s needed is some exemplar materials to show what is it people need to deliver the new curriculum properly.”[16]Prominent Welsh historian Dr. Elin Jones stated that local resources, such as history societies, had a lot to offer regarding Welsh History.
[19] Pupils aged 7–14 are taught according to the Curriculum Cymreig including a teaching of the cultural, economic, environmental, historical and linguistic characteristics of Wales.
[23] All schools were set to have access to the new Curriculum for Wales from 2020 with the goal of implementation in September 2022,[24] per the cooperation agreement in the Senedd between the Welsh Labour Government and Plaid Cymru.