Promoting fundamental British values through spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

 

We recognise the importance of teaching, respecting and promoting fundamental British values in all of our practice. This may be done discretely, e.g. through dedicated lessons on elections or in assembly/collective worship; or it may be woven as an integral part of our curriculum into other subjects, e.g. through reading texts that focus on BAME characters or by BAME writers. We also recognise that ‘British values’ are not uniquely British, but are both shared and influenced by many people around the world.

 

Fundamental British values as set out by the Education Act 2002

 

Democracy

• We promote democracy in school through class, year group and house group elections for positions such as school council, sports council and house captain and vice captain.
• We teach the British electoral system through PSHE, with extra attention given during UK election and referendum events. We have also focused on US elections when this was a current event.
• We have had local election candidates in school to further discuss the role of democracy and the British electoral system. We are careful not to influence children’s views on political issues, but make sure they are given important facts and different viewpoints about big issues.
• Older children are taught about suffragettes and the fight for women’s suffrage, as well as the role of key figures in the fight for equal suffrage for black Americans in the USA.
• We talk about ‘disagreeing well’ and recognise the importance of both free speech and mutual respect.

 

 

The Rule of Law

 

• We recognise and promote the importance of the rule of law.
• We talk about basic rules (in the context of school) and laws (nationally).
• We discuss the role of police officers from Reception upwards.
• We encourage the children to take responsibility to follow school rules as our simulation of the law.
• We are careful not to undermine UK law in our teaching.

 

Individual Liberty

• Alongside rules and law, we respect and promote individualism amongst the children and encourage and welcome different viewpoints, beliefs and ideas.
• We encourage individual liberty and expressionism extensively in our PSHE and art/creative sessions, as well as woven in across the curriculum.
• Children are given many extra-curricular opportunities to both further and nurture talents and to try new things and experiences.
• We believe that a safe and supportive environment is the best way to ensure children feel able to be creative and expressive and to make choices as individuals.
• Our PSHE, RSHE and RE policies talk about the importance of personal choice and how different people will make different, equally valid, choices.

 

Mutual respect            

 

• We as staff demonstrate mutual respect for staff, parents and pupils, as well as to others.
• We promote respect and acceptance for those of different beliefs, faiths, ethnicities, nationalities, genders, sexualities and abilities.
• We are careful to use a wide range of ethnicities, nationalities, genders, sexualities and abilities in our range of historical, current and literary figures and characters, in order to better represent the modern population of the United Kingdom.
• Discrete teaching on diversity occurs as part of both PSHE and RE.
• A ‘diversity’ display is available to keep the importance of respect high profile.

 

 

 

Tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs

• Our RE curriculum teaches a diverse range of religions, as well as the lack of religion.
• PSHE sessions, as well as general class discussion, demonstrates our commitment to respect, tolerance and acceptance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
• We are careful to make sure that we have a range of religions and beliefs among the historical, current and literary figures and characters we study, as well as to include those without a faith or religion.