When Courtney Wright attended her school’s Culture Day in a Union Flag dress earlier this year, little did she know what would result. First she was placed in isolation and the speech she’d written was banned; then the school made a volte face and full apology after becoming the subject of a media storm. The tale exemplified the fear and disorientation in schools – and the contrasting public opinion – surrounding overt expressions of British identity.
Many parents are asking why displaying the national emblem should be problematic. Why would a school encourage expressions of international heritage with a Culture Day, but then shame a pupil for wanting to celebrate their indigenous national identity? Surely, they argue, education should involve taking pride in Britain’s political history, art, music and contributions to science? Yet others say that these things are inseparable from colonialism, the past misdeeds of the British Empire, or contemporary inequalities.
At a time when questions of common values should be more up for discussion with students than ever, the classroom climate often seems to encourage the opposite. Political scientist Olivier Roy notes how the rise of multiculturalism, migration, secularism and the internet have disrupted cultural practices as well as our relationship to time and space (for example, working from home). He argues that culture has become de-socialised, de-territorialised and more individualised. Instead of socialising young people into a common culture, the void has been filled with narratives of market neoliberalism, diversity, inclusion and, more recently, traditionalism.
In a survey of English teachers of English, 90 per cent said that have diversified their curriculum by drawing on a wider range of texts and authors. Traditional books like John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men have been replaced with more ‘relatable’ texts like Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah, Boys Don’t Cry (Malorie Blackman) and The Hate U Give (Angie Thomas). However, critics accuse such moves of undermining the very notion of culture and so achieve the opposite of their intentions. With a diminished sense of what we hold in common, are we losing sight of education as an induction into culture?
Should a national curriculum be a statement about who we are and what we value? Or should it represent a unique opportunity to appreciate differences of cultural practices, beliefs and values? Is it possible to do both in a context of limited resources?
The wider problem of the fragmentation of our national culture is placing teachers and schools in a precarious position, where a misstep can have large ramifications. How should teachers approach offering young people a positive narrative about who they are and where they live?
