English schools to get a lesson in "Britishness"
| Published: 22nd February 2007 20:40 |
English schools to get a lesson in "Britishness"
Schools across the country should provide lessons on Britishness in order to foster a sense of community spirit and social cohesion, according to a new report.
A study by Home Office adviser Sir Keith Ajegbo found that citizenship lessons in English schools were not sufficient in providing a sense of British identity.
Education secretary Alan Johnson is expected to unveil plans to make it compulsory for schools to teach such values up to the age of 16.
Mr Johnson told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 that the sense of being British "involves the values that we hold very dear in Britain which is free speech, which is tolerance, which is respect for the rule of law".
He added: "Schools can and should play a leading role in creating greater community cohesion and combating ignorance of other countries, religions and cultures.
"By 2010 one in five pupils in our schools will be from an ethnic minority - this is a challenge but also an opportunity to instill a culture of understanding and tolerance at an early age."
The comments come after research revealed yesterday by the National Centre for Social Research found that the number of people describing themselves as British has gone down, while the number considering themselves English has increased.
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