"Which historical figures will capture the imagination of a class on a rainy Thursday afternoon?"

History teacher and writer SHALINA PATEL discusses how to make the subject appealing and relevant to a diverse range of students today - and envisages what lessons might look like in 25 years' time

- SHALINA PATEL

There are always surprises to discover in history - surprises that can help engage even the most uninterested student. I always look forward to teaching pupils about the suffragettes. So imagine my delight when I learned that one prominent figure in the movement, Sophia Duleep Singh (1876-1948), was the daughter of a Sikh maharaja. She was also connected to British royalty, making it even more surprising that I had never heard of her.

Discovering her story impacted me significantly, and it is now a key component of my lesson on that period of history. Tellingly, when we ask Year 9 students (typically 13 or 14 years old) which historical figure that they've learned about at school should have a statue erected to them, Sophia is among the most popular answers. English Heritage has at least now installed a blue plaque in her honour at Faraday House, the residence at Hampton Court granted to her by her godmother, Queen Victoria.

Having relished learning and teaching about Sophia Duleep Singh, I pondered the question: which other hidden figures could I unearth to connect with history topics that I was already teaching my students?

It has been my mission - thankfully, one shared by the history teachers with whom I work - to ensure that diverse stories are no longer relegated to designated weeks or months of the year, but are embedded within the narratives to which they belong, so that students receive a richer, broader and more balanced historical education. To achieve that, I’ve had to reflect on my own understanding of history, leading me to challenge the narratives typically presented in school textbooks and resources.