Government encourages schools to host 'One Britain' events

The UK government has encouraged schools to hold a celebratory day this Friday aiming to instil pride in Britishness.

One Britain One Nation (OBON) Day, at which children are encouraged to sing a patriotic song, is being promoted by retired police officer Kash Singh.

His campaign says it wants to foster a "spirit of inclusion with a collective purpose".

But Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called the idea "ludicrous".

The Department for Education - which has responsibility for schools in England - said it supported the "broad aims" of the day but it was not endorsing any specific materials produced by the campaign.

However, it is unclear how many schools will take part in the event on 25 June, which comes as many Scottish schools are due to close for the summer.

Ms Sturgeon said the timing of the endorsement showed the UK government's "disinterest" in Scotland.

Mr Singh said he set up the OBON campaign in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in 2013 after retiring from the local police force in 2012.

It is asking schools to hold a one-minute clap to recognise "all those people who helped" during the Covid pandemic, and get children to sing an "anthem".

The song, written by primary school pupils in Bradford, features the lyrics: "We are Britain and we have one dream - to unite all people in one great team".

Another line says Britain is "united forever, never apart". The song closes with the refrain: "Strong Britain, Great Nation".

A brochure for the event also suggests schools could ask pupils to dress in red, white and blue - or hold parades to create a "shared sense of belonging".

OBON has previously promoted campaigns to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday in 2016, and the birth of Prince George in 2013.

Mr Singh told the BBC Radio 4's PM programme, "I came to this country at the age of six from Punjab in India - couldn't speak a word of English.

"This is a fantastic country - it has welcomed people from all parts of the world who have made it their home.

"When I left the police force I wanted to put something back into the country that had given me so much - I came up with this concept with no other intention other than to do good for the country."

Responding to criticism, he said the words of the song were written by children aged seven to nine and suggested that politicians should be "a little more sensitive".

On Monday, the DfE said it wanted schools "across the UK" to take part in Mr Singh's event.

In a post on Twitter, the department added it would help children "learn about our shared values of tolerance, kindness, pride and respect".

In reply, former Labour MP and universities minister John Denham accused the DfE of "trying to claim it is [the] UK education department".

And Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she first assumed the UK government's endorsement of the idea was a "spoof" when she saw it.

Speaking on Wednesday, she said: "I'm trying to imagine the outrage there would be if the Scottish government was insisting or even encouraging Scottish school kids to sing some song about how great Scotland is.

"People would be - and rightly so - up in arms about it," she added.

"It's ludicrous and it perhaps says everything about the disinterest the UK government has in Scotland that they're asking this to happen on the day Scottish schools go off on their holiday."

A spokesperson for the Labour-run Welsh government, responsible for schools in Wales, said: "Education is a devolved matter and the Welsh government has not been engaged in this project."

Labour's shadow education secretary Kate Green said: "Getting a proper plan in place for children's recovery and ensuring every school is being supported to manage the impacts of Covid on their pupils, is Labour's priority and should be the education secretary's priority as well."

A spokesperson for the DfE said it supported OBON's "broad aims to help children learn about equality, kindness and pride".

"It is for schools to decide how they teach these important values," they added.

"The department has not asked people to sing songs or endorsed any specific materials for One Britain One Nation day."