Holocaust education

Sean Moran made this Freedom of Information request to Department for Education This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was partially successful.

Dear Department for Education,
Please provide a copy of all information on the alleged holocaust of 6 million jews during World War Two by the Germans on the National Curriculum in the last 20 years.Please also confirm where you obtained this information from and how much was paid for it.

Yours faithfully,

Sean Moran

Department for Education

Dear Mr Moran

Thank you for your recent enquiry. A reply will be sent to you as soon as possible. For information; the departmental standard for correspondence received is that responses should be sent within 20 working days as you are requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Your correspondence has been allocated reference number 2013/0071785

Thank you

Department for Education
Ministerial and Public Communications Division
Tel: 0370 000 2288

-----Original Message-----
From: Sean Moran [mailto:[FOI #185194 email]]
Sent: 16 November 2013 12:29
To: ACCOUNT, Unmonitored
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Holocaust education

Dear Department for Education,
Please provide a copy of all information on the alleged holocaust of 6 million jews during World War Two by the Germans on the National Curriculum in the last 20 years.Please also confirm where you obtained this information from and how much was paid for it.

Yours faithfully,

Sean Moran

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #185194 email]

Is [DfE request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests to Department for Education? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/cont...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This email was received from the INTERNET and scanned by the Government Secure Intranet anti-virus service supplied by Vodafone in partnership with Symantec. (CCTM Certificate Number 2009/09/0052.) In case of problems, please call your organisation's IT Helpdesk.
Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for legal purposes.

The original of this email was scanned for viruses by the Government Secure Intranet virus scanning service supplied by Vodafone in partnership with Symantec. (CCTM Certificate Number 2009/09/0052.) On leaving the GSi this email was certified virus free.
Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for legal purposes.

hide quoted sections

Department for Education

Dear Mr Moran,
Thank you for your request for information, which was received on 18
November. You requested “a copy of all information on the alleged
holocaust of 6 million jews during World War Two by the Germans on the
National Curriculum in the last 20 years.”  In addition you asked “Please
also confirm where you obtained this information from and how much was
paid for it.”  I am dealing with your request under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.

First of all, and by way of background, I would point out that the
Department for Education (DfE) sets the framework for the national
curriculum, and teaching about the Holocaust is a compulsory part of the
history curriculum at key stage 3.  The DfE does not however specify how
it should be taught, nor what resources teachers should use.

With this in mind, in order to identify and locate the information that
you have asked for, I require some further information from you, as the
scope of your request is unclear.  In particular, it would be useful to
know exactly what recorded information you are seeking, so that I might
establish whether it is held by this Department.

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are unhappy with the way your request has been handled, you should
make a complaint to the Department by writing to me within two calendar
months of the date of this letter.  Your complaint will be considered by
an independent review panel, who were not involved in the original
consideration of your request.    

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint to the
Department, you may then contact the Information Commissioner’s Office. 
Your correspondence has been allocated reference number 2013/0071785. If
you need to respond to us, please visit:
[1]www.education.gov.uk/contactus, and quote your reference number.

Yours sincerely,

Elaine Schollar
Curriculum Policy Division
[email address]
[2]www.education.gov.uk

The original of this email was scanned for viruses by the Government
Secure Intranet virus scanning service supplied by Vodafone in partnership
with Symantec. (CCTM Certificate Number 2009/09/0052.) On leaving the GSi
this email was certified virus free.
Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.education.gov.uk/contactus
2. http://www.education.gov.uk/

hide quoted sections

Dear Department for Education,
You must know where you get your information on the alleged murder of 6 million jews by the Germans during World War Two. Also how much you pay for this information. Are you saying Schools simply teach what they want on this subject?

Yours faithfully,

Sean Moran

Department for Education

Dear Mr Moran

Thank you for your recent enquiry. A reply will be sent to you as soon as possible. For information; the departmental standard for correspondence received is that responses should be sent within 20 working days as you are requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Your correspondence has been allocated reference number 2013/0078740.

Thank you

Department for Education
Ministerial and Public Communications Division
Tel: 0370 000 2288

-----Original Message-----
From: Sean Moran [mailto:[FOI #185194 email]]
Sent: 12 December 2013 18:40
To: ACCOUNT, Unmonitored
Subject: Re: Department for Education response: Case Reference 2013/0071785 ESD, RE,History **FORWARDED TO ELAINE SCHOLLAR FOR ADVICE 13/12/13**

Dear Department for Education,
You must know where you get your information on the alleged murder of 6 million jews by the Germans during World War Two. Also how much you pay for this information. Are you saying Schools simply teach what they want on this subject?

Yours faithfully,

Sean Moran

-----Original Message-----

Dear Mr Moran,
Thank you for your request for information, which was received on 18 November. You requested “a copy of all information on the alleged holocaust of 6 million jews during World War Two by the Germans on the National Curriculum in the last 20 years.”  In addition you asked “Please also confirm where you obtained this information from and how much was paid for it.”  I am dealing with your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

First of all, and by way of background, I would point out that the Department for Education (DfE) sets the framework for the national curriculum, and teaching about the Holocaust is a compulsory part of the history curriculum at key stage 3.  The DfE does not however specify how it should be taught, nor what resources teachers should use.

With this in mind, in order to identify and locate the information that you have asked for, I require some further information from you, as the scope of your request is unclear.  In particular, it would be useful to know exactly what recorded information you are seeking, so that I might establish whether it is held by this Department.

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are unhappy with the way your request has been handled, you should make a complaint to the Department by writing to me within two calendar months of the date of this letter.  Your complaint will be considered by an independent review panel, who were not involved in the original consideration of your request.    

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint to the Department, you may then contact the Information Commissioner’s Office. Your correspondence has been allocated reference number 2013/0071785. If you need to respond to us, please visit:
[1]www.education.gov.uk/contactus, and quote your reference number.

Yours sincerely,

Elaine Schollar
Curriculum Policy Division
[email address]
[2]www.education.gov.uk

Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for legal purposes.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.education.gov.uk/contactus
2. http://www.education.gov.uk/

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #185194 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This email was received from the INTERNET and scanned by the Government Secure Intranet anti-virus service supplied by Vodafone in partnership with Symantec. (CCTM Certificate Number 2009/09/0052.) In case of problems, please call your organisation's IT Helpdesk.
Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for legal purposes.

The original of this email was scanned for viruses by the Government Secure Intranet virus scanning service supplied by Vodafone in partnership with Symantec. (CCTM Certificate Number 2009/09/0052.) On leaving the GSi this email was certified virus free.
Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for legal purposes.

hide quoted sections

Department for Education

Dear Mr Moran,
Thank you for your request received on 18 November under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (“the Act”) in which you ask for information about
Holocaust education, specifically a copy of all information on the
Holocaust of 6 million Jews during World War Two by the Germans in the
national curriculum in the last 20 years and confirmation of where this
information was obtained and how much was paid for it.

In my reply of 27 November, I asked for clarification as to exactly what
recorded information you were seeking, to establish if it was held by this
Department.  In your response you said: “You must know where you get your
information on the alleged murder of 6 million jews by the Germans during
World War Two. Also how much you pay for this information. Are you saying
Schools simply teach what they want on this subject?”

I can advise that the information you requested is not held by this
Department.  However, the Imperial War Museum states: 

“Under the cover of the Second World War, the Nazis sought to destroy all
the Jews of Europe. For the first time in history, industrial methods were
used for the mass extermination of a whole people. Six million were
murdered, including 1,500,000 children. This event is called the
Holocaust.”

The Department has not paid for this information. 

On the subject of how the Holocaust is taught in schools, as I explained
in my reply of 27 November, the national curriculum sets out the statutory
framework for the teaching of the subject, but it is for schools to decide
how they specifically teach about the Holocaust and what resources they
use.  We trust schools to use teaching materials that suit their pupils’
needs. 

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are unhappy with the way your request has been handled, you should
make a complaint to the Department by writing to me within two calendar
months of the date of this letter.  Your complaint will be considered by
an independent review panel, who were not involved in the original
consideration of your request. 

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint to the
Department, you may then contact the Information Commissioner’s Office.

 
Your correspondence has been allocated reference number 2013/0078740. If
you need to respond to us, please visit:
[1]www.education.gov.uk/contactus, and quote your reference number.

Yours sincerely,

Elaine Schollar
Curriculum Policy Division
[email address]
[2]www.education.gov.uk

The original of this email was scanned for viruses by the Government
Secure Intranet virus scanning service supplied by Vodafone in partnership
with Symantec. (CCTM Certificate Number 2009/09/0052.) On leaving the GSi
this email was certified virus free.
Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.education.gov.uk/contactus
2. http://www.education.gov.uk/

hide quoted sections

Dear Department for Education,

Thankyou fo ryour reply.

Is it each individual Council, School or Teacher who chooses what they teach on the alleged holocaust?

Can you confirm they are perfectly free to teach whether the alleged holocaust actually happened or is fraudulent?

Yours faithfully,

Sean Moran

Department for Education

Dear Mr Moran
 
Thank you for your email of 2 January about the teaching of the holocaust.
 

Section 78 of the 2002 Education Act requires that the curriculum be
balanced and broadly based. Teaching that the Holocaust was fraudulent
would be contrary to this provision, as indeed would any teaching that
directly contradicts accepted scholarship.

 

We expect that the teaching of any issue in schools to be consistent with
the principles of balance and objectivity.

 
Once again, thank you for writing.
Your correspondence has been allocated reference number 2014/0000109. If
you need to respond to us, please visit:
[1]www.education.gov.uk/contactus, and quote your reference number.

As part of our commitment to improving the service we provide to our
customers, we are interested in hearing your views and would welcome your
comments via our website at: [2]www.education.gov.uk/pcusurvey.

Yours sincerely

Anthony Hunter
Ministerial and Public Communications Division
[3]www.education.gov.uk

The original of this email was scanned for viruses by the Government
Secure Intranet virus scanning service supplied by Vodafone in partnership
with Symantec. (CCTM Certificate Number 2009/09/0052.) On leaving the GSi
this email was certified virus free.
Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.education.gov.uk/contactus
2. http://www.education.gov.uk/pcusurvey
3. http://www.education.gov.uk/

hide quoted sections

Dear Department for Education,

There is no longer an accepted version of the alleged murder of 6 million jews during World War Two with leading historians, scientists, academics, the Red Cross and even jews denying it happened or questioning the numbers involved. Shouldn't the School Curriculum show the diversity of opinion on this subject?

Yours faithfully,

Sean Moran

Department for Education

Dear Mr Moran
 
Thank you for your email of 28 January about religious education.
 
I acknowledge your further comments but would advise that there is nothing
further I can add to the substance of our earlier replies. As explained in
previous correspondence, the national curriculum sets out the statutory
framework for the teaching of the subject, but it is for schools to
decide how they teach about the holocaust and what resources they use. We
trust schools to use teaching materials that suit their pupils’ needs.
Thank you for writing.
Your correspondence has been allocated reference number 2014/0010799. If
you need to respond to us, please visit:
[1]www.education.gov.uk/contactus, and quote your reference number.

As part of our commitment to improving the service we provide to our
customers, we are interested in hearing your views and would welcome your
comments via our website at: [2]www.education.gov.uk/pcusurvey.

Yours sincerely

Anthony Hunter
Ministerial and Public Communications Division
[3]www.education.gov.uk

The original of this email was scanned for viruses by the Government
Secure Intranet virus scanning service supplied by Vodafone in partnership
with Symantec. (CCTM Certificate Number 2009/09/0052.) On leaving the GSi
this email was certified virus free.
Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.education.gov.uk/contactus
2. http://www.education.gov.uk/pcusurvey
3. http://www.education.gov.uk/

hide quoted sections

Dear Department for Education,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Department for Education's handling of my FOI request 'Holocaust education'.

The reply stating "accepted scholarship" makes no sense as no such consensus exists on the alleged holocaust any more.Please give a reply that makes sense.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/h...

Yours faithfully,

Sean Moran

Department for Education

Dear Mr Moran,
I refer to your request for an internal review, made under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (“the Act”), which was received on 17 February. Your
original request, which was the subject of this review, was for “a copy of
all information on the alleged holocaust of 6 million jews during World
War Two by the Germans on the National Curriculum in the last 20 years.
Please also confirm where you obtained this information from and how much
was paid for it.” 

The Department has now completed its internal appeal process and has
carried out a thorough review of the case, chaired by a senior officer who
was not involved with the original request. The review considered the
correspondence between you and Department for Education officials up to
and including the response to your request sent on 30 December 2013.
Subsequent exchanges were considered to be out of scope, as they were not
covered by the Act.  

Based on your clarification email of 12 December 2013, the Department
interpreted your request as requesting information specifically relating
to the way in which the Holocaust is generally defined.  The response to
your request stated that the Department does not hold the information you
requested.  The internal review concluded that your request was handled
correctly, and found no reason to overturn the original response.

If you are unhappy with this decision, you have the right to appeal
directly to the Information Commissioner. The Information Commissioner can
be contacted at:  

The Case Reception Unit, Customer Service Team, Information Commissioner’s
Office,  Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF

Further information about the Information Commissioner’s complaints
procedure can be found on the Information Commissioner’s Office website:
[1]http://www.ico.gov.uk/complaints/freedom...

 
Your correspondence has been allocated reference number 2014/0017030. If
you need to respond to us, please visit:
[2]www.education.gov.uk/contactus, and quote your reference number.

Yours sincerely,

Elaine Schollar
Curriculum Policy Division
[email address]
[3]www.education.gov.uk

The original of this email was scanned for viruses by the Government
Secure Intranet virus scanning service supplied by Vodafone in partnership
with Symantec. (CCTM Certificate Number 2009/09/0052.) On leaving the GSi
this email was certified virus free.
Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.ico.gov.uk/complaints/freedom...
2. http://www.education.gov.uk/contactus
3. http://www.education.gov.uk/

hide quoted sections