Can You Really Teach Core British Values

I think the world has gone mad, I don’t think you can teach core British values, you either have them or you don’t. Who is going to decide what they are, not our polititians I hope, most of them know the price of everything and the value of nothing, what would they know about core British Values. Our present government sums up everything that I deplore, spin, slight of hand, saying one thing and doing another, mortgaging its soul to pursue political ambition. I think most people would agree that these are not core British values, but I suspect everyone would have a slightly different interpretation of what British values are.

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Perhaps we have not really moved so far beyond those values that a tongue in cheek John Betjeman listed in his poem In Westminster Abbey. “Think of what our nation stands for, books from Boots and country lanes, free speech, free passes, class distinction, democracy and proper drains”. Have we really changed that much!

I think that core British values should include a basic sense of fairness, an understanding of how to behave in public, a straightforward honesty, a willingness to accept difference in others but an expectation that they will not impose their choices on us.

In the dim distant past was educated at a private day school for girls; it was quite formal and a bit old fashioned. We were taught core values and since we were in England they were by default British. There was nothing fanciful like citizenship on the curriculum; basically if it wasn’t academic with an exam at the end we didn’t do it. We absorbed values from the staff, the rules and school life in general. We learned right and wrong, we learned to respect the work and opinions of others and we had good manners instilled in us until it was as automatic as breathing. Honesty and integrity was prized above everything, not only was it expected but it was demonstrated by all the adults within the school from the kitchen staff to the head mistress. Breaking rules had a consequence and the ultimate sanction of expulsion was not an idle threat, it happened often enough to be a genuine deterrent. Success and achievement was celebrated, failure was supported to a point, if the person accepted help and improved they were supported if not they were removed from the school. We were encouraged to develop our confidence and knowledge by asking questions debating issues and of course by reading.

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My daughters have just reached the end of their school years, they have been to three exceptional schools within the state system and (with the exception of the rejection of failure) they have absorbed the same values in the same way. All this nonsense about citizenship classes has done little for them except to breed a level of frustration and boredom. They learned by example, by expectation and from the ethos of the school. Nothing can replace inspirational leadership and we have been so lucky to find this in all three schools. I was determined that my children should go to a non faith school so that they would learn to accept and value the beliefs and culture of others while developing their own belief system. It has worked far better than I could ever have imagined. They have made true and lasting friendships including many friends from other faiths and other cultural backgrounds.

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There is one thing that I feel very strongly about, for tolerance and understanding to be achieved it is essential that all citizens can speak English adequately.  I think it is quite right that this is now a requirement for people seeking British citizenship. We should value our language.