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?

What examples are there of current British imperialism? Last I checked countries could choose to leave the commonwealth if they wanted to and choose to no longer recognise the queen as anything to do with their nation.

What examples are there of current British imperialism?
Diego Garcia? Bombing of Libya? Some would argue the Falklands...

Ah, yes, bless those natives, they have free will to go their own way whenever they choose. Not our fault, guv, they just want to be part of our gang - nothing to do with the centuries of exploitation and oppression that preceded it. Post-colonial theory? What's that then?

Not to mention neo-imperial escapades like Iraq and Afghanistan. Or semi-imperial hangovers like Northern Ireland, Gibraltar or the Falklands.

Move along, nothing to see here.

Oversees aid and/or arms to countries that are 'useful' to us? Turning a blind eye to horrific regimes because the enemy of our enemy is our 'friend'? How long have you got? Imperialism is alive and well, except that these days we leave our 'slaves' in their countries of origin and at the mercy of really shitty dictators.

I am going on a Governor training course next month about 'British Values'.

The write up is vague. I am hoping the course wont be.

Did someone say table manners are a value? Table manners on a par with 'Liberté, égalité and fraternité". Know it's only a motto really (and a french one at that), but thats what you should be aiming for in a society as aspirational values worth their salt.

How about making sure all school age kids can make a good cuppa and know how to queue properly.

OFSTED trying to pritstick the nation then.

British values does strike me as a tonic designed to satiate UKippers who think every school is going to end up full of extremists.

My PhD was in post colonialism (specific aspects thereof) and, though of course no one has to apologise for being British, we do have to be vigilant about what British 'power' has meant historically and the legacy it has left (ongoing) in many places.

It irritates me hugely that Britain is held up as an example of secular democracy - hello, Church of England/Scotland? Until we have separation of church and state, we can't claim to be a secular country. And we should be, in this day and age. And while I'm ranting, what's democratic about an unelected House of Lords and the royals?

By all means, promote values of democracy, freedom of speech and fairer ways of life than are available to people in many countries. But learners also need to be allowed to ask 'what ARE British values and do we see them actively demonstrated in our society?' Rather than simply being force fed a 'Britain is wonderful and if you don't like it, get out, you commie/jihadi/ungrateful arse.'

On a lighter note, the following might qualify:

• talking about the weather to strangers in 1001 different ways
• being quietly very cross about bad service or appalling manners but appearing unperturbed or even grateful.
• TEA

Mastering the art of the tut and eye roll at any display of bad public behaviour.

I don't like the term at all; I think it's very loaded, pointed and jingoistic.

I always slightly suspect it means 'white values'.

Bertie and caryam, do you know Very British Problems on Twitter? They tweet something like this every day. It's very funny.

I read it ages ago, but don't follow it. Now if children were taught those things as British values, that would be fine and very apt.

I don't live in the UK and my children study 'Citizenship' as part of the national cirriculum. This involves things like discussing recycling, how to treat public spaces, respecting different opinions and why that's important, not discriminating against others and understanding social issues. They also talk about things that need to improve and how they think these can be achieved. Perhaps that's what they are doing with 'British Values" I agree though, not a good name.

It's pretty weird but is it/are they (these 'British values') outlined in the 'Precent' document, and isn't there just a broad similarity to the values guiding the Human Rughts charter?

Agree it's all pretty bizarre. One thing to ask schools to follow/embrace the values guiding human rights act; another thing to ask schools to follow a (developed) policy on how to spot and tackle 'radicalisation' - but having Ofsted check on how schools are promoting 'British values'??? It's not very liberal, is it?

And I also really agree that my immediate reflex is to think of the colonial dimension of nationhood.

Its all very odd. And actually really only English/Welsh values as Scots aren't under Ofsted.

Surely moral values would be a better name if they actually mean things like fairness and equality rather than queuing and tea. Agree it does all sound very colonial.

It's weird, nobody understands the term, there are no guidelines about what it means, it's just stupid.

It came about because of the investigation into those Birmingham schools, obviously to show the "panicked public" action is being taken...

But not really...