Intrerview with David Blunkett, 3 November 2009

David Blunkett was Secretary of State for Education and Employment from 1997-2001. He launched the literacy and numeracy strategies and promoted the teaching of citizenship, compulsory in English state schools from 2002. David discussed the influence of his own history teacher on his interest in citizenship and the links between the two subjects. He reflected on the difficulty politicians face in turning a policy into action at school level. His belief is that schools should be at the centre of their communities and that learning to cope with change in communities should start with history. Interviewed by Dr Nicola Sheldon