Campaigns

Campaigns

The CBA seeks to influence the education system and archaeology to encourage more, and better, use of archaeological resources in teaching, and a greater involvement in education by archaeologists. This is done partly through lobbying, and partly through the CBA’s contribution to committees and other organisations (eg Qualification and Curriculum Authority). The CBA promotes archaeology within education to MPs and Peers through our Director, Mike Heyworth’s, role as secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Archaeology Group whose aim to “further an understanding of archaeology in Parliament and promote archaeology and archaeological education” is concurrent with the CBA’s own aims.

A long-standing aim of the CBA is to encourage teacher training institutions to accept archaeology graduates onto PGCE courses. At a time when all subjects in secondary schools are experiencing a shortage of specialist teachers, we see archaeology graduates been turned away from teacher training by a great many institutions. It cannot be right to prevent eager archaeologists from entering teaching.

The CBA is fully involved in government initiatives to extend education into the historic environment through Learning Outside the Classroom and Engaging Places. We were also involved in the development of the GCSE History Pilot currently being taught to widen the range of history teaching to include heritage management and archaeology.

Reports of current meetings, responses to consultations and briefing papers on issues of concern will in future be posted here on the CBA website.