British values....

[Spottycurtains]

For OFSTED all schools must now outline how they are promoting and teaching British values. To comply with these new demands our school has asked all curriculum leaders to outline how their subject's curriculum do this.
While I agree wholeheartedly with the values we should promote such as tolerence, I feel very uncomfortable calling them British.
I can't help but think that there is a certain irony in implying that the values of tolerance, respect and acceptance of all cultures and religions belong to one nation.
I can't think of an alternative name, Human values- too vague, Western values- potentially as insulting, maybe democratic values?
Am I being an oversensitive wooly liberal?

If in Britain then it's British so British values is right.

That's as much thinking I can do about it

They are core values that Britain holds high.

doesn't mean they are exclusively British values, but they are British values, they are things that are important to Britain.

I teach my children to queue and wait their turn, and tick those off as core British values. We also vote on things in class, another core British value.

I try not to over-think it really.

Not just schools. All ofsted registered provisions, nurseries, childminders, pre schools etc.

British values sounds fine. It promotes a sense of pride and identity. Most schools have their own mottos like 'Respect, understanding and achievement' and go on to promote them as their school's own values. It doesn't mean they are the only school doing it, nor that they were the inventors of such values.

It would be a bit like suggesting that a "Full English" shouldn't be called such, because people in other countries eat it the same as we do.

I don't think YABU because I understand your logic, but I do think you are over thinking things a bit too much.

I agree with all that's been said but I still feel uncomfortable about it. Can't quite articulate why perhaps because I think it's pandering to a Daily Mail mob terrified that we'll all turn into ISIS revolutionaries rather than for the reasons that Splodgeses outlines.

I don't really know what it means either. Maybe OFSTED should suggest some if they're insisting you promote them?

This article might give you some ideas

It's a horrible buzz word and no one, not even the people who came up with it really have a clue what it means.

Just because they're British values, doesn't mean other nations can't share those values. We don't own them, they're simply values that we agree with as a nation and want to promote. We call them British Values collectively because that particular combination of values is the British way.

For me it's things like table manners, queuing politely, holding the door open, saying please and thank you, being hard working, being respectful and tolerant of others...all the things other countries rib us for basically!

It's also very British to be concerned about upsetting others by being British

And watching dads army!

Given our imperialist history in other countries, including very recently, then it is farce to suggest some of these values really are British ones.

But thats part of being British surely? The way we adapt, and blend global traditions into our identity

But thats part of being British surely? The way we adapt, and blend global traditions into our identity

Fuck me. That's quite an understatement of what British imperialism actually was. Talk about whitewashing!

And kill anyone who didn't blend.....

Yes but I kind of assume history lessons that aren't just a school career spent learning ww2 will go hand in hand with this

Yes, you are being an over sensitive wooly liberal.
Is being British something to be ashamed of ?

Ofsted should define Brtish Values, give everyone the list, then the boxes can be ticked!

What are they according to the curriculum??

But thats part of being British surely? The way we adapt, and blend global traditions into our identity

That's your interpretation of imperialism? Please tell me you're joking.

That's your interpretation of imperialism? Please tell me you're joking.

global traditions = Money, wealth and diamonds.

I do feel that as a very general rule, certainly compared to many countries, we are tolerant and diverse.

Unfortunately I think the use of the word 'British' in Britain First and the BNP for example mean that many of us (and I am probably guilty of this) equate it with some sort of extremism.

How long do us Brits have to keep apologising for the behaviour of our ancestors? Every single nation has its era of history it should be more than ashamed of but it doesn't affect the way they are as a nation now.

It's not all ancient history, FlippityBolax; there's a lot within living memory. No-one's asking 'Brits' to apologise, merely to be slightly more sensitive to the history of British imperialism past and present than your frankly offensive post was.

There is a difference between acknowledging something did happen and apologizing for it.