Toil and trouble confirmed: the demise of Hallowe’en in English primary schools

The claim that Hallowe’en has been eliminated from English primary schools is tested through empirical research in south‐east England. The reasons given by teachers for their inclusion or non‐inclusion of the subject are then explored. Finally, questions are raised about the implications of the findings for children’s ongoing personal development, and proposals offered on how schools should respond.     

Children,schools and Hallowe’en

This article explores the attitudes and experiences of key stage one and two children concerning the British autumn festival of Hallowe’en, and then compares the results with data on the attitudes and practices of British primary schools and their teachers towards the festival, showing that there is a discordance between the two. After outlining the historical and cultural background of Hallowe’en, the article proposes that if schools and teachers really wish to listen to the voices of children, and to comply with legal requirements that they promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils, then they should ensure that children are helped to make sense of the festival and the issues that it raises for contemporary society. The data for the study are based on a small-scale quantitative survey which used questionnaires with year two and six pupils in two contrasting geographical locations.