British schools told to bolster children's sense of Britishness

LONDON: Schools should do more to foster a sense of Britishness in young people, a report warned on Thursday, amid growing debate over the threat of a break-up of the United Kingdom.

The study says citizenship lessons for British pupils, compulsory between the ages of 11 and 16, need to focus on helping both white pupils and those from ethnic minorities to build a sense of national identity.

The question of national identity was thrust into the spotlight last week when a row over alleged racism towards Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty erupted on reality television show 'Celebrity Big Brother'.

This prompted Education Secretary Alan Johnson to say that schools should focus on teaching "the core British values of justice and tolerance".

"We want the world to be talking about the respect and understanding we give all cultures, not the ignorance and bigotry shown on our TV screens," he said.

Thursday's report from former headteacher Sir Keith Ajegbo warned that citizenship lessons should help foster a sense of national identity in both white pupils and those from ethnic minorities.

"Many indigenous white pupils have negative perceptions of their own identity," it said. "White children in areas where the ethnic composition is mixed can often suffer labelling and discrimination. They can feel beleaguered and marginalised, finding their own identities under threat as much as minority ethnic children might not have theirs recognised."

Prompted by the 300th anniversary this month of the union between England and Scotland, many Britons are currently questioning whether there is such a thing as a national identity at all.

Although finance minister and likely next prime minister Gordon Brown has warned against the 'Balkanisation of Britain', one recent poll claimed that just 44 per cent of people in the UK considered themselves British first and foremost and highlighted a growing sense of English nationalism.