Teachers to stop teaching children right from wrong

Schools will no longer have to teach teenagers the difference between right and wrong under government plans.

The move, greeted yesterday with a mixture of disbelief and fury, is outlined in proposed changes to the national curriculum, requested by ministers in an attempt to simplify the system.

Instead of a requirement to teach right from wrong, schools will only have to ensure that children between 11 and 14 have "secure values and beliefs" and are "committed to human rights".

Draft reforms to the curriculum have also deleted a requirement to teach children about Britain's cultural heritage and the need for them to "work for the common good".