Education (Values of British Citizenship) Bill [HL]

Earl of Effingham Excerpts

Friday 18th October 2024 Lords Chamber

[The Earl of Effingham (Con)]

My Lords, this has been an in-depth and wide-ranging analysis of the Private Member’s Bill from the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Harries. It is a subject of great significance to the future of the UK and the character of all ages, young and not so young. I am conscious that this is an emotive topic and I will endeavour to do everything I can to treat the subject matter with the respect that it deserves.

Democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs—born out of the 2011 Prevent strategy and further enhanced by the 2014 government guidance—are the British values that both independent and state-maintained schools are currently required to actively promote. In line with the Education Act, they should form one part of a broad and balanced curriculum that

“promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils”

in our schools.

But education is about much more than just the transfer of knowledge. It is about passing on the sense of identity of who we are as a people, encouraging all ages to be responsible members of society. We should view the holistic education system as the primary driver of informing and enthusing young people about their country. It is crucial that we get this right. British values existed well before 2011 and we must ensure that the Government strengthen the autonomy of parents, schools and communities to deliver that goal.

The current Administration are seeking to centralise and nationalise Skills England and Great British Energy; we should be wary of a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach to an issue as fundamental as moral education. Will the Minister explain to the House how she plans to ensure that British values are passed on through communities and families, not just via the state?

Regarding the values themselves, the Chief Rabbi has expressed a concern that the average person does not know what British values are. The Catholic cardinal the Archbishop of Westminster has criticised the values as being “a bit rootless”. The chief executive of the Refugee Council asked the next Government to

“rebuild a system based on British values of compassion, fairness and respect”,

while, in the other place, British values have been described as decency, tolerance and the rule of law, as well as decency, respect and kindness.

We are incredibly lucky to live in a diverse and tolerant society, but it is important that we as a nation are aligned on what our values are. Does the Minister believe that there is a need for change, and please can she give us details of exactly what the Government’s British values are and which stakeholders are being engaged to ensure we get this right?

Currently, in the form of citizenship education, the British values are taught in a variety of different ways across different schools. Some schools will teach them via PSHE while others will teach them as a stand-alone subject. This is leading to a wide range of both positive and less positive outcomes. Please can the Minister explain the Government’s approach to the curriculum and educating people on British values? How will schools be clearly told to implement the strategy? Pupils are currently not tested on the values, which means that head teachers are much less focused on this. Will the Government start testing?

The Bill from the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Harries, elaborates on the definition of “freedom” to include “freedom of expression”. Would the Minister agree that freedom of speech is a non-negotiable universal principle that should apply to everyone in this country? Can she explain to the House how freedom of speech will be taught in our schools to guarantee that the principle is strengthened and not undermined in the future?

The Bill also refers to British values being renamed as the “values of British citizenship”. We look forward to hearing the Government’s stance on that.

Of the UK’s 10 best state secondary schools, based on 2024 GCSE results, Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School came in first place with 57% of GCSEs graded 7 to 9. The report notes that the school

“consistently performs well academically while also placing a significant emphasis on moral and spiritual development”.

The Chief Rabbi believes that tolerance is

“the symphony orchestra in which we have separate instruments, each one making its own unique sound and, under the baton of the conductor, blending together to produce perfect harmony”.

Every successful enterprise has a mission statement. We need to know what mission statement the Government will assign to the education system for “British values”, and how exactly they will benchmark their success to prove that those values are being retained and understood for the benefit of everyone.