Schools must instil ‘small-c conservative’ values, says ex-mobility tsar

Multiculturalism in Britain is bound to fail unless schools instil children with “small-c conservative” values, including pride in being British, the former social mobility tsar has said.

Katharine Birbalsingh said it was “non-negotiable” that children need to be taught love of country but too many schools viewed this idea with “contempt”.

Ms Birbalsingh, who has also been called the UK’s strictest headmistress, told the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference that too few schools teach children virtues of personal responsibility and self-sacrifice.

“I put it to you that when schools do not immerse children in these small-c conservative values, when schools do not have strict behaviour systems, when schools do not hold their standards high for all children, whatever their backgrounds, multiculturalism fails,” she said.

The headmistress of Michaela Community School in London said too many teachers “cheered on” identity politics that encourage children to see themselves as victims who have no “agency” to improve their lives.

Instead, she said that children needed to be taught to reject victimhood if they are to succeed.

‘Cohesion not division’

Ms Birbalsingh accused schools of exaggerating differences between races and religions, encouraging pupils to “retreat into tribalism” and causing division in the country, saying: “Our schools should immerse children in values that promote cohesion, rather than division.”

She said children at her school were “immersed in small-c conservative values, where we teach them to take personal responsibility, to embrace the idea of self-sacrifice, and to love their country”.

“No matter how often they’re told that they are oppressed, that the establishment is against them because they are poor or they’re black or they live on an estate, it will always be the case that we have agency,” said Ms Birbalsingh.

Without small-c conservative values, “children inevitably retreat into tribalism”, she added.

“Too often, schools have contempt for the demonstration or love for one’s country,” she continued. “Hardly anyone sings the national anthem any more.

“We encourage our children to satisfy their desire for belonging by identifying as British, whatever their religion, whatever their race.

“Identifying as British among other things means we are grateful for the rule of law. We share secular values inherited from the Judeo-Christian tradition of fair play and treating our neighbour as we would ourselves.

“And we believe in the power of institutions that have stood the test of time, like the monarchy.

“But if our schools don’t really believe it, where children might be encouraged to ignore or even hate their countries, not only will these children struggle to succeed as individuals, but multiculturalism itself cannot succeed.”

Wanted to speak out

Ms Birbalsingh was appointed head of the Social Mobility Commission under Boris Johnson, tasked with challenging the low expectations in disadvantaged communities. But she resigned just over a year later, saying she wanted to be able to speak openly about her views.

She has gained her reputation as a strict head by ensuring pupils at her inner-city school are polite and have high attainment goals for themselves.

In her speech, Ms Birbalsingh said: “I’m known as Britain’s strictest headmistress. In fact, believe it or not, if you want to Google who is the strictest teacher in the world, my name comes up.”

She added that schools were promoting Black Lives Matter and LGBT identities, which “encourage children to identify as victims instead of empowering them with the values of hard work and perseverance”.

“When we exaggerate a difference, we exacerbate tribalism,” said Ms Birbalsingh. “If a child feels he cannot belong to his country, then he will first identify with his race, religion or other victim group; rather than seeing himself first as British standing alongside his white British brothers and sisters.

“Sadly, too many schools currently cheer this thinking on.”

Ms Birbalsingh quoted a poll showing that 37 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds are not proud to be British and 11 per cent do not know.

“So nearly half of our young adults – most of whom have been home-grown in our schools – cannot express pride in their country,” she said.

Former Australian PM

At the same conference – a meeting of Right-wing politicians from the UK, US, Australia and elsewhere, who want to see smaller government and warn of the decline of Western civilisation – former Australian prime minister John Howard said that he rejected the idea of multiculturalism.

“Multiculturalism is a concept that I’ve always had trouble with,” he said.

“I take the view that if people want to emigrate to a country, then they adopt the values and practices of that country.

“We try too hard to institutionalise differences, rather than celebrate what we have.”