Terrorism in the Nursery: considering the implications of the British Values discourse and the Prevent duty requirements in early years education

Abstract

This article explores some of the implications of the British Values discourse within early years education and the consequences of the Prevent duty requirements. It highlights some of the ethical dilemmas imposed as a result of the potential securitisation of early years education, and also explores the very ethos of British Values within early years pedagogy.

Discourse Analysis of Policies to Prevent Violent Radicalization in Ten European Countries and their Impact on Educational Systems

“…Consequently, it has had some effects, such as one known as "Britishness" for the schools to promote British identity on (Matthews, 2016). Criticism of this policy is widespread and varied: they point to the political inability to propose alternatives and the fear of the consequences of not alerting the authorities (Revell & Bryan, 2016); it causes ethical dilemmas for both teachers (Lumb, 2018) and health professionals who see confidentiality and trust undermined (Middleton, 2016) and the elimination, in some cases, of the right to freedom of speech in schools or universities (Open Society Justice Initiative, 2016). It is also criticized as a threat to policies that address racism, promote equality, and support community cohesion (Jerome et al, 2019).…”

Monsters: interdisciplinary explorations in monstrosity

“…In England, the terminology of 'British Values' and the expectation to uphold these as part of the standards for qualified teachers (DfE, 2011) is felt by some to connect 'British Values' with whiteness and demonise people of 'non-British' origin, setting up a false division and potentially encouraging a backlash against ethnic minority cultures (Maylor, 2016;Phillips, 2010). Furthermore, the 'Prevent' duty placed on schools to monitor and report concerns about pupils at risk of radicalisation has been noted to be socially divisive and create a particularly negative focus on Muslim pupils, potentially 'othering' them within school communities (Kenny and Ghale, 2015;Lumb, 2018). Similarly, but affecting both the UK and beyond, interest in the power of education to address social disadvantage and disparity in pupil outcomes has led to the development of character and resilience education (Paterson et al, 2014).…”

Análisis de los Planes de Prevención de la Radicalización en Europa desde una perspectiva educativa

“…En consecuencia, ha supuesto algunos efectos como por ejemplo el conocido como «Britishness» para la promoción en la educación, de la identidad y valores considerados británicos como medida de cohesión comunitaria (Matthews, 2016). Las críticas a esta política son amplias y de signo variado: señalan la incapacidad política para proponer alternativas y el temor ante las consecuencias de no alertar a las autoridades (Revell y Bryan, 2016), provoca dilemas éticos tanto para los docentes (Lumb, 2018) como para los profesionales sanitarios que ven mermada la confidencialidad y la confianza (Middelton, 2016), la eliminación, en algunas ocasiones, del derecho a la libertad de expresión en escuelas o universidades (Open Society Justice Initiative, 2016), la amenaza a las políticas que abordan el racismo, promueven la igualdad y apoyan la cohesión de la comunidad (Jerome, Elwick y Kazim, 2019) y el aumento de la sensación de sospecha y miedo para algunos colectivos, -especialmente de jóvenes musulmanes-(Busher, Choudhury, Thomas y Harris, 2017).…”