Promoting British Values
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.”
The Government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values have been reiterated this year by the Prime Minister. The Government are keen for every school to actively promote the fundamental British Values.
These values are:
- Democracy – respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic process.
- The rule of law – respect for the basis on which the law is made and applies in England, support for equality of opportunity.
- Individual liberty – support and respect for the liberties of all within the law.
- Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs – respect for and tolerance of different faiths and religions and other beliefs.
At Parc Eglos we promote all of the above aspects through the following
Democracy
Our PHSE curriculum encourages all aspects of respect for Democracy and the Democratic process. Individual children are elected to posts of responsibility such as Class Monitors, Sport Leaders or Play Leaders. Children have been involved in the Whole School Review during which they are able to put forward their views about the school and how the school can be improved. When the opportunity arises children use opportunities such as general or local elections to hold mock elections to promote fundamental British values. We also provide pupils with the opportunity to learn how to argue and defend points of view in other areas of the curriculum.
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, Fire Service, and Lifeguards etc. are regular parts of our calendar and help us reinforce this message.
Children are taught to understand the principles of rules which enable a community, like a school, to work well. This may be supported by our Community Police Officers for example in the Junior Road Safety Officers scheme (JRSO’s).
Children are aware of the impact of not following the rules – the consequences, the expectations and the boundaries in which they work in their school community. The children learn to understand the difference between right and wrong in all aspects of school life, throughout the day, but there is also an opportunity for children to put right what has been done wrong, wherever possible. Children are given opportunity to understand aspects of civil and criminal law and discuss how this might be different from some religious laws.
Individual Liberty
Children are encouraged to give their opinion and to share their ideas with due regard for the feelings of others.
The curriculum we offer allows all individuals to ‘take part‘ and be involved in the activity – that includes trips or visits out of school and residential visits which involve overnight stays away from home. We use our PSHE programmes of study and aspects of Social and Emotional learning to help children to feel safe within their school and to know who to go to if they are worried or need help.
We celebrate achievements in assemblies or through certificates or postcards home to parents. Children are encouraged to be proud of their achievements in school or outside of school.
The children in Year 6 have access to Learning Mentor support which helps them be confident that they can access support in a confidential and supportive way.
Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young pupils to make choices safely, through provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons. Whether it be through choice of learning challenge, of how they record, of participation in our extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices and are taught that choices have consequences. Parc Eglos encourages children to take responsibility for their behaviour and to challenge stereotypes as well as develop an anti-bullying culture.
Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those with different Faiths and Beliefs
Part of our school ethos and behaviour policy revolves around the Characteristics of learning – The R’s. The Rs represent behaviours and attitudes that help us to become better learners. It is our belief at Parc Eglos that we want to teach children to be able to learn anything they will need to throughout their lives. We build this in school through the R’s. Pupils are part of discussions and assemblies related to what this means and what this looks like. Our Creative Curriculum sometimes has RE as a main driver, through this the study of Christianity and different religions has a high priority in our school. Our children are encouraged to be aware of their link to their local community in Helston, the wider community link to Cornwall and Britain as a country, as well as the global understanding of the world around them.
Every classroom has an RE display promoting the current theme. The study of different religions, accompanied by visits to different places of worship in our area, allows our children to understand the wider aspects of faiths and their differing or similar customs and practices. Our links with St Michael’s church and in particular with Reverend Jane Bradbury have been a huge success. Children have visited her and seen around the church, she has been in to hold Christianity workshops in school and we have had our KS1 music afternoon there. Through the study of different religions there is an opportunity to ‘reflect’ upon the impact of that faith to those who believe in it and to those who do not.
Children are given an opportunity to develop critical personal thinking skills which will challenge prejudice and discriminatory behaviour. Throughout school life the children are encouraged to discuss differences between people such as their faith, ethnicity, disability or gender. They also explore differences in family life such as looked after children or young carers. As a school, mutual respect is at the heart of our values. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community treat each other with respect.
Parc Eglos places a great emphasis on promoting diversity with the children in our school which is not greatly culturally diverse. Its wider community however is becoming more culturally diverse. Assemblies are regularly planned to address this issue either directly or through the inclusion of stories and celebrations from a variety of faiths and cultures. Our RE and PSHE teaching reinforces this. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and also with the school for example in assemblies. We use opportunities such as The Olympics and World Cups to study other countries.