Advice on 'not undermining British values'?!

[Phineyj]

I am putting together my evidence folder for GTP and have to include evidence to show I don't undermine British values. Whenever I can stop rolling my eyes at the inanity of trying to prove a negative, especially when as far as I can tell, the govt. haven't specified what they mean by 'British values' (am presuming they don't mean an unreasonable love for Marmite and chocolate digestives), I am wondering...what do I include? I have asked the training agency and my various tutors and they all look shifty and say 'lesson plans?' I don't get how you do this with lesson plans. Any tips gratefully received!

[guggenheim]

I asked an Ofsted inspector about this (didn't know the answer myself) and it means showing that you 'celebrate ' british customs such as easter, crimbo, halloween etc.

Seems pretty daft to me but if you have any plans/ photos / art work relating to harvest festival, collect them put them into a box or portfolio as 'proof'

I was in trouble in my PGCE year for having messy handwriting and not 'embracing the community values' of my placement school. FFS!

[LoopyLoopsOlympicHoops]

What do you teach?

[Phineyj]

Economics and RS.

Thanks guggenheim, that's helpful.

[LoopyLoopsOlympicHoops]

Economics - lessons involving analysing British companies eg. M&S, history of stock exchange?
RS - CofE.

[sashh]

Put in a few lesson pplans that incorporate 'British Values' so (ignoring the fact that could mean anything) looking at festivals for RE put some comparison with British non RE celebrations such as May poles (yes I know) and Burns' night.

Lesson plans dated for St George's, St Andrew's, St Patrick's and St David's days with just a non to 'today is...'

Economics - look at £ verses Euro, why is Britain not in the eurozone?

[FloresCircumdati]

Really? This is a bit of an eye opener to me! What is non-British about being Catholic, or Muslim, or Pagan or Sikh...if that is really what you are expected to do (it seems like it just falls short of saying 'anyone British is white and Christian, and don't anybody dare say otherwise!' No wonder no one will say out loud what it means!)

Sorry, know it is only for TP, but even so it seems a strange thing to be asked to do. [sarcasm] Perhaps they have discovered from their equal opportunity sheets that there are far too many extreme Muslim terrorist [sic] teachers and not enough racist ones. [/sarcasm]

[HoopDePoop]

I read the document with the updated standards and it said the full description for 'not undermining British values' was on the web somewhere. So there is more detail, you don't need to guess what they mean and potentially get it wrong. Will try to find it for you.

[WofflingOn]

I'd think of British values as being more tied into the right to freedom of speech and thought, those Rights of the Child values incorporated into your lesson plans.
Freedom of worship being one of them, living in a democracy, that sort of thing.
It seems very unfair that you don't get a checklist. I'm sure there will be a document in the pipeline somewhere.

[WofflingOn]

www.bera.ac.uk/events/what-are-fundamental-british-values

[WofflingOn]

This is what the Home Office thinks www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/crime/values-questionnaire

[HoopDePoop]

Here are the new standards

If you look at the bit where it says 'notes on terminology used/glossary' it clarifies to make it as clear as mud. Might be worth looking at the Prevent strategy mentioned.

However it does say it includes 'democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs'

So no, not racist - positively multicultural, if you like.

[FloresCircumdati]

HoopDePoop, thank Marmite for that!

[FloresCircumdati]

Here is the Prevent document.

Read to the end.Now it makes more sense.

So lesson plans (e.g. for R.E.) should be focussing on the broadly mainstream beliefs of a religion, and be balanced and fairly represented.

[Euphemiaaaarrrrgggghhhh]

to include evidence to show I don't undermine British values

What manner of thought policing is this?! I've never seen this - is this Gove?

[cricketballs]

It's on the new set of standards that all teachers are judged on easily sack us. They have been in place since September; so if you are currently teaching you should have been made aware

[helpyourself]

Scary. I'm shocked that more wasn't made of this at proposal. What a strange idea.

[Euphemiaaaarrrrgggghhhh]

I'm a teacher in Scotland, so I guess this bloody nonsense just applies in England? I'm angry for you!

[wherearemysocka]

As far as i know you don't have to provide evidence, it is assumed to be the case unless your Head has reason to believe otherwise.

[cricketballs]

qualified teachers don't have to produce evidence but those who are training (such as the op) do

[Phineyj]

Sorry guys, was so busy completing the massive pile of GTP paperwork that I didn't come back here and check and you had left me some really useful links and tips - thank you! I realised on some of my lesson obs the observers had stated the letter standards (including the 'not undermining British values' one) so I just provided a sheet cross-referencing them. To be honest, neither the assessor not the verifier even mentioned it so maybe they don't know how to tell either...

What a silly thing it all is. Although not quite as silly as 'satisfactory' now meaning 'not satisfactory' nor all that going on they do about being 'outstanding' when it makes no difference to the QTS or the pay.

And now I have QTS, so I can get back to my mission of undermining Ofsted British values by using words to mean what most people think they mean. Hurray!