‘Fundamental British values’: navigating nationalism and teacher practice

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ABSTRACT Attempts to locate ‘Britishness’ within a context of loyalty to a set of shared values, have drawn upon discourses rooted in both contemporary and Imperial British histories. A central plank of the approach adopted since the early 2010s is the ‘Fundamental British Values’ (FBV), emerging from the British counter-terror strategy Prevent (2011). This paper interrogates the responses of school staff to the FBV, particularly expressions of discomfort regarding the policy’s nationalist overtones drawn from staff interviews, policy documentation and on-site photography obtained from an inner-south London primary school,. These responses are explored using Appadurai’s (1990) conception of ‘scapes’ in relation to globalisation, which highlight some of the strategies used by staff to manage this discomfort relative to their statutory duties. Finally, the broader implications and ideological foundations of the strategies chosen by staff are examined and spaces for deeper engagement with the FBV are examined.