‘Toil and Trouble’: Hallowe'en as an Educational Theme and Political Issue

Abstract

Until recently teachers tended to welcome the advent of Hallowe'en as the stimulus for a variety of creative activity. The only drawback, it seemed, was the proximity of Hallowe'en to Bonfire Night: for teaching purposes the two events would ideally have been better spaced, giving the stock‐cupboard a chance to replenish its supply of black card and allowing an interval between thrusts of expressive work. In the last two or three years, however, considerable unease has surrounded the observation of Hallowe'en in schools. This paper is an attempt to identify and explore the sources of that unease. We take stock of the appeal of Hallowe'en and of available resources, both for creative work and for the treatment of Hallowe'en as a festival on the agenda of religious education. An enquiry in thirty primary schools is reported in order to assess current trends in school policy and we observe the energies of religious lobbies in bringing pressures to bear upon the advisory service and upon headteachers.