Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what national or local (1) organisations, and (2) agencies, have been funded in the last 12 months in respect of the promotion of British values and associated work; and what guidance has been given to the Office for Standards in Education in relation to (a) inspection reporting on citizenship, British values and character building, as part of the national curriculum, and (b) the judgements made on the quality of education in both primary and secondary schools.

The Home Office’s Building a Stronger Britain Together (BSBT) Programme was established in early 2016 to deliver Pillars 1 and 2 of the Government’s Counter Extremism Strategy (countering extremist ideology, and building a partnership with those opposed to extremism). The Programme is designed to fulfil the Government’s commitment to ‘develop a new network, linking individuals and groups around Britain who are already standing up to extremists in their communities’. Its objectives include reducing the number of people holding attitudes, beliefs and feelings that oppose shared values; an increased sense of belonging and civic participation at a local level; and more resilient communities.

Fifty-three groups have been awarded support from the first round of applications under BSBT. The Home Office will announce the groups and publish details of the projects it is supporting shortly.

DfE and the Home Office are jointly funding Breakthrough Media to manage the Educate Against Hate website, which aims to provide teachers, school leaders and parents with the information, guidance and support they need to challenge radical views and keep their children safe, including supporting the promotion of fundamental British values.

In 27 January 2017, the Department for Education awarded a contract to the Association of Citizenship teaching to produce 6 resource packs to include high quality guidance for teachers to hold knowledge-based debates on topical issues relating to fundamental British values (democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different beliefs and those without faith), citizenship and equality.

The general reporting areas for school inspection are set out in section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Within this context, HM Chief Inspector is responsible for Ofsted’s common inspection framework and school inspection handbook, which set out how inspectors consider and report on these matters. In developing the framework and handbook, the Chief Inspector takes account of Departmental guidance to schools. This includes guidance on schools’ promotion of fundamental British values.