School history looks set to return to the political agenda with the recent announcement of a curriculum review and ministerial speeches on the need for change. This article seeks to identify key issues on which the battle for school history will be fought. It situates the debate in the context of developments in theories of how people learn and in the UK tradition of history education research findings. It addresses some of the arguments raised by the Better History Group and argues that history teacher professionals are best placed to decide the future shape of history education. (Contains 18 notes.)