Schools 'should be promoting British values' to combat extremism

All schoolchildren should be learning "British values" in order to combatextremism, the Education Secretary has said.

Nicky Morgan told a think-tank that students should be taught about values such as tolerance, respect, democracy and the rule of law regardless of faith or cultural alignment.

Citing the Trojan Horse scandal in Birmingham, where schools were thought to have been infiltrated by hardline Muslims, she said it was right that schools inspection watchdog Ofsted was now monitoring the promotion of such values in classrooms.

She said: "The events in Birmingham last year showed what happened, when those that don't subscribe to our fundamental British values try to hijack our education system, radicalise our children and break those societal bonds. What happened in Paris this month showed what can happen when people like that succeed.

"But promoting fundamental British values is about far more than combatingextremism. The very reason that fundamental British values are successful in tackling extremist ideology is because they help to open young people's minds, making them into citizens who respect difference, who welcome disagreement and who challenge intolerance.

"I'm afraid I have no sympathy for those who say that British values need not apply to them, that this should purely be a special test for schools inpredominantly Muslim communities or our inner cities.

"Every school regardless, faith or none - should be promoting British values,because it's the right thing to do."