The Church of England (C of E) is the latest institution to brand new standards requiring schools to actively promote ‘British values’ as dangerous and divisive. The Department for Education has been accused of rushing through a consultation on the school standards, which was published in July. The standards came into force in late September. The C of E’s submission to the consultation speaks of the ‘danger’ of regulating under such loose terms, describing the standards as a ‘negative and divisive approach’. Nigel Genders, Chief Education Officer for the C of E, cautioned that: ‘British values’ cannot be allowed to become a test or an assessment of whether somebody is ‘safe’ or ‘loyal’. Genders went on to argue that ‘extremism thrives when religion is banished to dark corners’. He added, ‘more importantly, if we reject all forms of religion from our schools, we are failing to prepare young people for the realities of life’.