The Department for Education has been the subject of widespread ridicule - not to mention comparisons to extremist regimes such as North Korea and Nazi Germany - from multiple quarters this week, after having recommended on its Twitter page that all primary school pupils sing the song One Britain One Nation today, as a way to foster a “spirit of inclusion with a collective purpose”. 

It might, at first glance, seem a little harsh to criticise a song written by primary school pupils. But it is worth exploring why the DfE saw fit to promote the song with the suggestion that all children throughout the land should sing a song with lyrics as nakedly patriotic as “strong Britain, great nation”. 

In much the same way that teaching children about “British values” implicitly suggests that Britain is superior to other nations, the DfE’s speed and enthusiasm in praising the One Britain One Nation initiative seems to demonstrate a belief that children should be taught to view our country as inherently better than the rest of the world. 

One Britain One Nation: Government-imposed nationalism? 

The DfE has now backtracked, stating that “the department has not asked people to sing songs or endorsed any specific materials for One Britain One Nation Day.” However, this is in stark contrast not only to its previous tweet, but also to education secretary Gavin Williamson’s praise for the project as “amazing”, and his statement that it was “incredibly important that schools take part”. 

The DfE suggested that the song could help children to learn about “shared values of tolerance, kindness, pride and respect”. But it is hard to imagine how effectively asking children to pledge allegiance to “One Nation” fosters any of these values. 

Arguably, the support for One Britain One Nation is yet another example of the government attempting to impose a nationalistic agenda on our young people. This is, after all, a government that has its MPs giving interviews in front of union flags, which has a prime minister who insists we must stop our “cringing embarrassment” over our colonial past, that has mandated that the union flag should be flown on all government buildings, and that has developed a narrowly British-focused curriculum in subjects such as history and English. 

Plastering a union flag over cracks in our society

More significantly, it seems all too convenient for the government to attempt to impose superficial displays of patriotism on our young people at a time when the inadequate recovery funding for schools has been widely criticised by teachers, school leaders and the political opposition. 

Just as clapping for the NHS didn’t, in the end, appear to result in greater respect and recognition for our nurses from the government in the form of a significant pay rise, so forcing children to sing songs about the greatness of our supposedly strong and united country is not only embarrassingly nationalistic but also insincere. 

This government needs to stop clutching at token gestures that attempt to plaster a union flag over the cracks in our society. Instead, it should focus on building a cohesive recovery strategy for our school pupils, supported by adequate funding. 

Providing support for each school to properly address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic would be far more patriotic than any amount of flag-waving or singing of nationalistic anthems. 

Megan Mansworth is an English teacher and PhD student. She tweets as @meganmansworth