British Values

The Government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values were reiterated in (2014) with the Department of Education reinforcing the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs”.

We aim to work closely with our parents, other schools and organisations, building partnerships, which benefit, not only our children, but others in the wider community, both on a local, national and global level. We have interwoven our British Values into the Rights of the Child.

At Streatley Primary School, we ensure the core British values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy

Pupil Voice is firmly embedded in the ethos of our school, and the children have many opportunities for their voices to be heard. Our School Council is just one example:

School council elections are held at the beginning of each calendar year, and all children in Years 1 to 6 are invited to stand. A councillor is elected from each class to represent the opinions, suggestions and issues raised from the class. School Council meetings are held twice a term and are led by councillors from Year 6. The Council is also divided into subcommittees which meet termly to discuss issues, conduct surveys, plan fundraising events etc:

• Eco Committee
• Collective Worship Committee
• School children leading Houses and teams
• Sports Ambassadors

We also look at how similarities’ and differences between civilisations through history and our curriculum themes e.g. Stone Age and Tudors. The downfall of larger civilisations through multiple factors e.g. economic, political, military or other.

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service help reinforce this message.

Individual Liberty

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices and take responsibility for these choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we have a responsibility to provide boundaries and safety for children through rules and regulations but also to give our children opportunities to make mistakes and to learn from their experiences.

Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example, through online safety lessons, drug talks with local schools and the use of Jigsaw (RSE educational support).

Whether it is through their choice of learning challenges, how they record a piece of learning, or through participation in our range of homework and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices.

Mutual Respect

Here at Streatley we have three school rules, one is to be respectful. We encourage a community spirit and sense of belonging, where children show respect for each other, understand differences and have a very clear sense of right and wrong. Children learn that their behaviour impacts on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community are expected to treat each other with respect through the use of good expected behaviours.

When children leave Streatley, they do so not only as enthusiastic learners, but also as responsible and caring young people with an understanding of their role as part of a community.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

Streatley Primary School is situated in a rural village with great transport links to social and cultural diversity. Our scheme of work – Jigsaw and Discovery RE supports us to address understanding and the acceptance of different faiths and beliefs through stories and celebrations from a variety of faiths and cultures. Worship, RE and PSHE teaching helps us to reinforce this. In RE lessons, members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school and classes visit places of worship that are important to different faiths. We also have audited our children's representation through narrative and art, this has led to many new stories, non-fiction and resources being bought into the school,

References:

The Prevent strategy (2011)

Promoting Fundamental British Values as part of SMSC in schools (November 2014)