"Schoolchildren are being fed a dumbed down version of the past by "cartoonish" schoolbooks inspired by the Horrible Histories series, an education expert has warned."
"Robert Peal, a history teacher and research fellow at the think tank Civitas, blamed the award-winning franchise for encouraging youngsters "not to think about the past but to laugh at it".
"Modern textbooks are trying to appeal to the "supposedly minimal attention spans" of today’s pupils by cramming in cringeworthy references to pop culture, he said. ..."
"But Mr Peal, who has written a book about the destructive effect of progressive education, said the light-hearted series "breaks the spell of the past".
"He called for a return to "immersive" Penguin schoolbooks from the 1970s, and those written by historians such as RJ Unstead that featured elaborate illustrations of bygone events and figures."
"He said: "Far from being dry and boring, they are lively and beautifully illustrated. And, crucially, they do not make concessions in content and detail."
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