Schools: British Values

Lord Cormack Excerpts

Thursday 12th June 2014 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Cormack]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to draw up a list of British values to which all schools will be asked to subscribe.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash) (Con)]

My Lords, independent schools, academies and free schools are required to encourage pupils to respect fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. That provision was brought in by this Government. We plan to strengthen this requirement so that those schools will have to promote British values. Ofsted will also be asked to change the inspection framework to reflect that expectation so that maintained schools are also held to account on the same basis.

[Lord Cormack (Con)]

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that encouraging and positive reply, for which I am sure we are all very grateful, but as we approach the 800th anniversary in 2015 of Magna Carta, which was the foundation of the rule of law in our country, should we not be considering drawing up a new British charter of responsibilities and rights which every school in the land should be asked to subscribe to? While we are thinking about these things, would it not also be a good idea to follow the example of our friends across the Atlantic and encourage schools to fly the flag?