NATE on British values.doc.docx - PGCE 2016-17



British values, global learning and the teaching of English

A perspective from the National Association for the Teaching of English

Background

In Promoting fundamental British values as part of SMSC in schools (DfE, 2014), the DfE wrote to schools ‘This is non-statutory advice from the Department for Education. Maintained schools have obligations under section 78 of the Education Act (2002) which requires schools, as part of a broad and balanced curriculum, to promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society. This guidance relates specifically to the requirements to actively promote fundamental British values in schools and explains how this can be met through the general requirement in the 2002 Act.’

The fundamental British values are defined by the DfE as ‘democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs’ (the DfE guidance cites as the source for these the Prevent Strategy 2011 from the UK Home Office, whose aim is ‘protecting the UK against terrorism’). This says the DfE, ‘can help schools to demonstrate how they are meeting the requirements of section 78 of the Education Act 2002, in their provision of SMSC’ (that is, spiritual, moral, social and cultural education, one of the strands in the Ofsted inspection framework).

The DfE set up a consultation on this that closed in August 2014, which led to debate at the time about the possibility of defining British values and how these might be taught. Comments from various quarters included a document from the Church of England (), which noted that ‘the values listed in this consultation are narrowly focused, and do not include several important aspects of British life including... the importance of dissent (e.g. as demonstrated by the campaign for the abolition of slavery, the suffragettes, chartists etc.)’ and ‘a commitment to the common good’. Others have questioned whether these values can be claimed as ‘British’ or if they should be seen as universal ‘human values’. One teacher commented, ‘I'm still wrestling with definition of “British values” within a multi-cultural and evolving society.’ We suspect that any list of genuine values will turn out to be broadly universal – at least throughout the democratic world.

Teachers of English who wish to explore the use of language might focus on the choice of ‘fundamental’ here to qualify ‘British values’, as well as the wider consideration of what makes these values particularly ‘British’, – and indeed how ‘values’ can be defined. They might also consider the context of the production of these values within the framework of the wider Prevent strategy.

Values and the teaching of English

The teaching of English in the UK (and elsewhere) has always been framed by cultural values. Matthew Arnold argued in the late nineteenth-century that poetry was a ‘criticism of life’. The development of English in the early twentieth-century as a university subject (and subsequently as a school subject) reflected concerns about Britain’s place in the world and the decline of religious belief. The study of English literature would provide a cultural source for reflection on the nature of civilisation and human value, while the study of English language reflected the development of British language and culture from many languages and cultures, a process which continues today.

English as a subject includes a wide-range of skills and diverse content. At all levels there is an emphasis on speaking and listening skills exercised in a variety of contexts. In the process, students are expected to learn the value of well-framed arguments as well as to listen, respect and respond to the views of others; (it is therefore unfortunate that recent changes, especially at GCSE, have tended to reduce the value of speaking and listening.) It can readily be seen how this fits with ‘mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs’. Those who have been exploring philosophical approaches, perhaps through Philosophy for Children, might question whether these are purely British values or the product of traditions much older, and wider, than the modern nation state.

In age-appropriate ways, pupils also explore the use of language to represent, reflect, or distort views through studies of the media, propaganda and public speeches, whether historical or contemporary. Literature often provides examples of this and can at times challenge easy assumptions about what is right and what is wrong, and the rule of law. Literary texts also represent a contemporary response to events and evolution in culture, for example in regard to gender, race and class.

A play like The Crucible exposes tensions between social pressures and individual integrity. The works of Blake, Shelley, Dickens, Oscar Wilde, Orwell and many others show that ‘the rule of law’ has been used both justly and also to silence dissent or oppress minorities. The plays of Shakespeare, such as Richard II the Henry IV plays, Henry V and Measure for Measure, provide opportunities to explore a wide range of problems about the application of law and the meaning of morality.

The global context

NATE is a partner in the UK-government funded Global Learning Programme (glp-.uk/). The programme aims to ‘help young people understand their role in a globally interdependent world and explore strategies by which they can make it more just and sustainable’, to ‘move pupils from a charity mentality to a social justice mentality’ and ‘stimulate critical thinking about global issues’. It is clear that through examination and discussion of global issues students can develop skills in argument while considering aspects of justice and equity. NATE has worked with Oxfam to produce resources for both primary and secondary pupils to explore these issues through activities about the earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010 (see .uk/page/global for links to these materials and for other resources supporting global learning in English see ). Through suitably selected literature, teachers can also enable students to develop greater understanding of global issues and their impact on others.

An example in the DfE guidance suggested that schools ‘include... material on the strengths, advantages and disadvantages of democracy, and how democracy and the law works in Britain, in contrast to other forms of government in other countries’. This raises a question about the challenge of presenting a balanced picture of ‘forms of government in other countries’, particularly through the selection and use of literature from other cultures. It could also lead to a simplistic view of the perceived superiority of the British system that some teachers might feel uncomfortable about, even if the statement does mention the ‘disadvantages of democracy’.

Extracts from a primary school’s statement of values

Maintained schools have begun to place statements of values on their websites in order to demonstrate their compliance with the new DfE requirement. These extracts have been taken from the website of a primary school in Derbyshire[1] in order to illustrate some ways in which a school has endeavoured to match its existing values and activities, appropriately for the age of the pupils, to the new requirements. Some of these are broad statements of principle, perhaps embedded in practice such as a pupils’ parliament or a ‘buddy’ system; others refer directly to curriculum activities as follows:

• Mutual respect is at the heart of our values. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. Members of the school community care for each other and seek the welfare of all.

• Democracy: children explore leadership and democracy through many curriculum areas. In English we look at the power of speeches and images to sway people and influence opinion.

• The importance of rules: pupils are taught the value and reasons behind rules as ways that protect us and those we live and work alongside.

• Individual liberty and mutual responsibility: pupils are encouraged to know and understand their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these responsibly and safely; pupils learn how to express, resolve and respect disagreements, and also about mutual responsibility and caring for others even when we may not share their views.

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9 Conclusion

It is impossible to teach English without constant reference, implicit or explicit, to the values embedded in language and literary culture. NATE believes that the subject should be seen not merely in instrumental terms but as a cultural study in which questions of values are constantly brought into focus for open discussion by reference, both to the enduring texts of literature, and to the emerging texts of contemporary media.

Tom Rank

for NATE, 4 February 2015

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