Promoting British values in schools

Chapter 4 starts with a general overview of the teacher-respondents’ reactions to the FBV. It then moves on to describe and analyse the four main school responses to the promotion of FBV identified in the research. These are Representing Britain, Repackaging FBV, Relocating FBV and Engagement with FBV (the latter is discussed in Chapter 5). The first response, Representing Britain, describes the use of symbols and stereotypes traditionally associated with Britain as a mechanism through which to promote FBV. Repackaging describes a ‘business-as-usual’ response where schools absorb the promotion of FBV into their existing practices. Relocating describes the rise in ‘inward-looking’ values/character education. I argue that this emphasis on personal development is preferred over more ‘outward-looking’ citizenship education. Throughout, I identify the characteristics of the ‘good’ citizen inherent in the different responses, focusing both on the desired characteristics of both the ‘good’ school citizen and the future adult citizen.

Researching the promotion of fundamental British values in schools

Chapter 3 discusses the processes of ‘policy enactment’ (Ball, Maguire and Braun 2012). This term is used to emphasise that there is no simple straight line between what a policy text states and what happens on the ground. Enactment describes the processes by which teachers interpret and reinterpret national policy, translating it to fit their own contexts. In the discussion, I consider the importance of what has been called the affective policy ‘tone’, in shaping enactment, drawing on Ben Anderson’s work to describe the affective characteristics of the wider social and political climate. The chapter also outlines the current education policy context in England, emphasising the key role of high stakes testing in shaping teachers’ work lives and the emphasis on traditional academic subjects, leading to the marginalisation of citizenship education described in Chapter 2. The chapter finishes by introducing the schools involved in this research. They consist of nine case study schools and eight schools that were visited for a one-off interview.

Conclusion: citizenship, values and belonging

Chapter 6 concludes the book by summarising its themes and considering the definition and role of critical citizenship education. The chapter argues that, despite limitations, particular critical forms of citizenship education have the potential to offer considerations of liberal democratic values that go beyond the simplistic, assumed consensus of FBV. Finally, I conclude that the FBV is a deeply flawed project. In order to allow for maximum consensus, the values are rarely examined and defined, acting instead as a form of ideological comfort food, an assertion of Britain’s occupation of the moral high ground.

‘Managing’ diversity: policy and practice

Chapter 1 considers the social and political contexts to the FBV requirement, as it argues that the enactment of particular policies cannot be understood without reference to the broader political and social climate. It discusses belonging in twenty-first century Britain, tracing policy approaches to diversity from multiculturalism through cohesion, back to an emphasis on integration, although emphasising that this is by no means a linear progression. It highlights the positioning of Muslim populations in particular, as suspect, as lacking in the desire to integrate. The chapter traces the development of the FBV requirement and immediate reactions to it. It discusses the requirements of both counter-extremist policy and the Equality Act 2010 as they apply to schools.

Introduction: the promotion of fundamental British values

This brief introduction introduces the research project, the Fundamental British values (FBV) requirement, and explains the government’s identification of the values as democracy, rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs. It also sets out the structure for the book.

Morality, controversy and emotion in schools

Chapter 5 considers the response of Engagement to the FBV requirement. This is the more infrequent instances of direct engagement with the FBV in schools, including teachers’ incursions into controversial/sensitive issues. The chapter explores some of the practical and affective constraints for teachers, on conducting what Cantle has called ‘dangerous conversations’. Chapter 5 also explores the priorities of teacher-respondents, their interpretation of the FBV policy to fit with their emphasis on developing students’ moral behaviours, especially mutual respect, and the commonalities and differences across the schools in the research, in terms of how ‘useful’ staff understood the FBV requirement to be in relation to their pupil populations.

Citizenship, identity and belonging

Chapter 2 is split into three main parts. The first part discusses an approach to citizenship that stresses affect, and then moves on to explore some of the vast literature around citizenship and nationalism, focusing on what Conversi refers to as the ‘deliberate cultivation of common [national] allegiances’ (2014 p.28) and the role of universal democratic principles in so doing. I draw attention to the arguments of several commentators that asserting a national identity through commitment to apparently universal liberal democratic principles often obscures the existence of narrower cultural and ethnic understandings of belonging. Second, Chapter 2 considers the role of citizenship education in promoting national and global belonging, and identifies some of the recent developments in the subject. Third, it discusses these recent developments in England and elsewhere, including the entanglement with counter-extremist policies.