Teaching British values

British values could be taught in schools to better integrate Muslims into society, higher education minister Bill Rammell has said.

In a speech at South Bank University Rammell was expected to announce a six-month review into how secondary school pupils can be given a stronger sense of British identity through citizenship classes.

"The vibrant, diverse communities we have in Britain are a cause for celebration. But that is no barrier to developing a stronger sense of understanding, purpose and values in Britain," he is set to say.

"We need to embed greater understanding of our values and what our society expects from all its citizens."

Stakeholder Response: Institute of Education 

Comment from Dr Graham Haydon, course leader of MA in Values in Education at the Institute of Education: "It would be hard to dispute that students in British schools should be taught to understand and appreciate the kinds of values, including the importance of democracy and freedom of expression, that are constant reference points in British political life and debate. 

 

"But Bill Rammell’s announcement unfortunately illustrates all too well the tendency of government thinking about education to deal in headline-grabbing ideas that show too little sign of joined-up thinking. 

 

"The government put Citizenship into the National Curriculum in 2000; the programmes of study for that subject already emphasize the values that are vital in a multicultural society. 

 

"They say that students should ‘learn about fairness, social justice, respect for democracy and diversity’. 

 

"Citizenship may not always be well taught, as Ofsted reports have indicated.  But a new initiative is not needed. 

 

"What is needed is that Citizenship, and its linked subject of Personal and Social Education, are given the recognition and support they deserve, not least through the training and professional support of teachers of those subjects."

 

Comment from Dr Anil Khamis, lecturer in education and international development at the Institute of Education: "The announcement by the higher education minister to teach ‘core British values’ in schools and universities assumes a number of things:

 

(1) that those who think such values exist or can be agreed upon appreciate the conflicting positions held in the past, which continue to inform their outlooks;

(2) that such values can be taught in the present structure of the National Curriculum and university courses syllabi;

and (3) that the teaching of these values will have a homogenising and harmonising impact.

 

"These assumptions lack validity. Indeed, and ironically, the introduction of Standing Advisory Councils for Religious Education (SACRE) and personal, social and health education (PSHE) have pushed values education to the periphery of the National Curriculum along with cultural studies and personality development.

 

"Yet the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 states: ‘Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms (Article 2 paragraph 2).

 

"The minister’s announcement considers ‘British’ values to be different from those of the people it hopes to integrate – in this case Muslims – whom it considers to be a homogeneous group.

 

"But Muslims exhibit great diversity in terms of national origin, ethnicity, language, customs, cultures and the like, and particularly in the interpretation of their religious tradition.

 

"If such presumptions are present at the outset of the announcement, it is only too obvious that these stereotypical views will permeate to the school level and continue to treat Muslims or those who are new to these isles as anything but British."

 

Stakeholder Response: Professional Association of Teachers

PAT general secretary Philip Parkin said: "This is a worthwhile idea in principle, but there must be a detailed, wide-ranging and carefully considered consultation about what we mean by 'core British values'.

"These 'values' should not be prescriptive but should be inclusive. It would not be appropriate to promote an imperial British myth by teaching that values such as democracy, justice and fair play are exclusively British or that Britain is superior to other countries.

"If they are to be successful, the proposed citizenship lessons must look at all the communities in the UK, their origins and their contributions to this country's past, present and future.

"It should be possible to foster pride in, and a sense of belonging to, this country without being jingoistic or encouraging the aggressive nationalism that is sometimes fostered by the tabloid press."

Stakeholder Response: National Union of Teachers

Steve Sinnott, general secretary of the National Union of teachers, said: "I welcome the government's proposal to consult on values education.

"The tragedy of the July 7 bombings has triggered rightly a reflection on how society can tackle ideologies which lead to terrorism.

"But the government has to be careful not simply to define the universal values of democracy, liberty and freedom as solely British, although the United Kingdom has a proud history of promoting those values.

"There is another core value which the government needs to promote; and that is respect for different points of view.

"Imposition can not lead to success in, or a common understanding of, the core values in our society. That is why thorough consultation with teachers, their organisations, parents and young people is so vital."

Stakeholder Response: Association of Teachers and Lecturers

An ATL spokesperson said: "This proposal is froth and ignores the complex and fast-changing cultures and values of modern societies. ATL would complain if a minister tried to create a list of acceptable British values.

"It is also over-simplistic to believe that children only pick-up values in citizenship lessons - in reality they encounter the values of society through the whole of their school life, and even more in life outside school, particularly within their families.

"Teachers do an excellent job of working with pupils from all groups in society and teaching them that they are all equal and merit respect.

"However, ATL rejects the idea that political conflict can be resolved primarily through education. Any attempt to tackle extremism in Britain needs to look at a whole range of issues including unemployment, housing, and foreign policy."

Stakeholder Response: ASCL

ASCL general secretary Dr John Dunford said: "For many years, schools and colleges have been very effective at communicating values, not just in citizenship classes, but in assemblies and in their general ethos.

"These values include tolerance, respect for the dignity and views of others, justice, fair-play, democracy, upholding the rule of law, and helping those less fortunate. However these are universal values, not specifically British values.

"We do need to encourage discussion of what constitutes British values. We do not want a government-imposed, national curriculum on British values."

Stakeholder Response: Church of Scientology

A spokesman said: "The debate on the idea of school children learning 'core British values' has naturally included the question of how such values should be defined and delineated.

!Understanding of different ethnic cultures and values is fundamental to tolerance and respect of such cultures. Education that includes teaching the core values of all of the different ethnic groups co-existing in modern Britain could only help to facilitate and encourage peaceful co-existence.

"Meanwhile, and of direct relevance, the subject of 'human rights' is currently in the news, with some seeking to discredit the subject on the back of high profile misguided 'applications' of the Human Rights Act.

"The Universal Declaration on Human Rights was ratified by nearly all countries in the world, as embracing 'core values' in each of these countries - and these are values that most British people would likely align with British core values, ie. the declaration is 'universal'.

"However, a survey found that 90 per cent of those surveyed did not know what the universal declaration states.

"The Church of Scientology, which has a long history of campaigning for human rights, has embraced and sponsors an organisation called Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI).

"YHRI has produced various resources to make known the Universal Declaration on Human Rights: a) booklets that describe each clause in easily understood terms; b) an award winning DVD called 'United', which addresses the subject of bullying in schools and has been aired on TV stations around the world, and c) the 'United Human Rights Handbook' which is being made available to schools around the world to teach youngsters the basics of human rights with user friendly lesson plans.

"At least one national government is now implementing this handbook in its school curriculum and schools in many other countries are embracing it."