A PARENTS leader has called Government plans to teach "Britishness" to teenagers a "sticking plaster" solution to a much wider problem.

Nick Seaton, chairman of the York-based parent lobbying group the Campaign for Real Education, said parents would rather pupils learned about being British in traditional lessons, such as history and geography.

Education Secretary Alan Johnson has accepted the key recommendation of a major independent report that a strong focus on understanding our history was essential to building community cohesion.

The main new elements in citizenship classes will be: l Encouraging critical thinking about ethnicity, religion and race, with an explicit link to political issues and values l Using contemporary history to illustrate thinking on contemporary issues related to citizenship l An understanding of the make-up of the UK, immigration, Commonwealth and Empire, the European Union and extending the franchise.

Mr Johnson believes it is vital that children learn about events and themes which have shaped the country we are today, including Commonwealth, Empire and universal suffrage.

But Mr Seaton said: "No one has done more to undermine the values in today's schools than this Government, and this seems to me to be something of a knee-jerk reaction and a sticking plaster to solution to a whole range of wider issues.

"I think all children, whatever their background, should be taught the key events and personalities of British history and that used to be the case."

City of York Council's executive member for children's services Coun Carol Runciman, said: "Children being taught about history identity is very important, not to see they are better that any other culture, but to give them a sense of place and identity."

Mr Johnson said: "I want schools to play a leading role in creating greater community cohesion. By helping children continue to understand difference, schools can make a difference.

"Young people need to be engaged in this important debate because the values our children learn at school will shape the kind of country Britain becomes.

"I think that this report marks the coming of age of citizenship as an important part of the national curriculum."

Mr Johnson proposed a new strand to citizenship classes that pupils take between 11 and 16.

He accepts there should be a new theme of Identity And Diversity: Living Together in the UK', with a focus on the historical understanding of issues that shaped British life today and discussing shared values.

Mr Johnson will ask the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to include this extra element in citizenship education in the revised secondary curriculum proposals they are due to publish and consult on.