Unpacking British values: a case study of a primary school in east London

This paper explores British values in the context of the new requirement for UK schools to actively promote the following specific ‘fundamental British values’: democracy, rule of law, individual liberty and respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and those without faith. A consideration of the socio-political influences leading to the identification of British values offers a backdrop to the debate on the contested nature of how these values are linked to the notion of Britishness and how they might be linked to the primary curriculum. The research setting is a mixed community primary school located in the London borough of Newham, where observations of key lessons and a review of school policies and displays with reference to British values took place. The findings illustrate that a lack of clear school-based leadership, the complexities of personal politics and an absence of training that embeds British values securely into the curriculum are all factors that should be addressed in order to deliver on this government directive.