Confusion, contradiction and exclusion: the promotion of British values in the teaching of history in schools

Abstract

Abstract This article discusses the challenges faced teaching the promotion of ‘British values’, especially for trainee teachers. The advancement of these ‘British values’ as set out by the Department for Education is confusing, contradictory, and appear to exclude a sizeable minority of pupils of minority backgrounds from the current historical narrative of Britain as delineated by the National Curriculum (2013). Moreover, there is little advice for new teachers on what these ‘values’ really mean or how they should be taught within schools, despite forming part of the standards required to achieve QTS. The author not only examines this confusion but provides the perspective of a former academic who has moved into secondary teaching, and their reaction to the teaching of History in schools and concerns regarding the History Curriculum.