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Earlsmead Primary School

Earlsmead Primary School

SUCCESS FOR ALL

British Values

At Earlsmead, British Values are promoted through a variety of channels, such as:

  • Teaching within the curriculum.
  • Special assemblies celebrating diverse religious or cultural themes.
  • Assemblies linking 54 articles from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to British Values.
  • The promotion of our school Vision and Values.
  • The implementation of our school behaviour policy and inclusion policy, including a Restorative Justice approach.
  • Pupil Voice surveys.
  • Use of rewards and logical consequence sanctions.
  • School Council.
  • Extended curriculum e.g. trips, clubs, visitors and themed weeks.
  • Responsibilities such as Play Makers, Prefects and Head Pupils.
  • Celebration of work through displays, website, assemblies.
  • Provision of time for reflection and debate e.g. Circle-time.
  • Enrichment activities.

We also promote ‘British Values’ through our spiritual, moral, social and cultural education which permeates through the school’s curriculum and supports the development of the ‘whole child’.

We recognise that such development is most successful when those values and attitudes are promoted by all the staff and provide a model of behaviour for our pupils.

The curriculum in all phases offers broad and balanced opportunities.

The British Values are:

Democracy

The ability to understand and communicate is the most important areas of learning. We ensure that pupils are given a ‘voice’ to communicate. This ‘voice’ could be using words, objects, photographs, pictures, symbols, signing, eye pointing or body language.

We empower our pupils by giving them opportunities to make choices about the things that they believe to be important. By valuing each ‘voice‘ and by listening and responding to that voice, we demonstrate that we support democracy and liberty. We have elected a Head Boy, a Head Girl, Prefects and an active School Council.

Rule of Law

We have high expectations about pupil conduct and this is reflected in our behaviour policy. Children are involved in reviewing and writing the Behaviour Policy and setting codes of behaviour; helping pupils to make decisions and choices that are acceptable to the school community and society at large. 

Pupils are helped to learn to manage their behaviour and take responsibility for their actions. Staff are committed to providing a consistent and predictable environment within the school and beyond. We can help many pupils to understand the connection between actions and consequences. Restorative justice practices are used to resolve conflicts. This type of environment enables pupils to feel safe and secure; this in turn, promotes the optimum conditions for learning to take place.

Positive behaviour is celebrated across the school in assemblies, Enrichment Time and with parents/carers. 

Individual Liberty

Pupils are encouraged to become good and valued citizens. We do this by supporting each pupil to become as independent as possible. We endeavour to demonstrate that everyone has rights; this includes the right to say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to ideas or activities. Many of our pupils will be able to take responsibility for particular roles and to understand that with certain rights come certain responsibilities. Learning to do things independently is an important part of learning to understand yourself. We encourage pupils to develop their talents and individual skills across the curriculum and value all their achievements. 

We support others by participating in charitable events such as Red Nose Day/Comic Relief and Children in Need. We believe that engendering a caring and helpful environment and being independent can boost and nurture a healthy self-esteem.

Mutual Respect

We promote each pupil’s inclusion in activities, settings and locations that are appropriate to them individually to meet their needs. Within school, pupils work with a range of people and interactions with others are always positively promoted. This may include working with external coaches and theatre groups etc. The curriculum is personalised and planned for pupils and may include transitioning within the range of resources and places on the site and going into the community to meet with a range of people in a variety of situations which include community events and shared participation with other schools/colleges.

We believe it is important to facilitate opportunities to be part of the community as the pupils, families and staff have much to offer in the development of community cohesion.

Tolerance of different Faiths and Beliefs

We are part of a school and local community where each person is respected and valued equally without regard to ability, gender, faith, heritage or race.

Cultural appreciation and development forms part of our curriculum. We place great emphasis on providing encounters and participation in events and celebrations to broaden all pupils’ experiences and awareness of others.

Our Assemblies help all pupils to find out about themselves and others linking their lives to the communities in which they belong.

Pupils are encouraged to experience British Culture through our curriculum themes. For example, pupils have visited many local places. As a school, we take part in sporting activities which helps to instil ‘fair play’ and engender a ‘team spirit’.

Although some of our pupils may find it difficult to articulate their feelings and concerns; staff are attuned to changes in demeanour and well-being that may indicate anxiety. If they are concerned about a pupil, our accepted practice links to the Safeguarding Policy which entrusts a duty of care to all staff to actively protect and promote the welfare of children.

The staff work closely with parents, carers and other professionals to ensure that the pupils at Earlsmead Primary are happy, well cared for and enabled to learn the skills they need to live a fulfilling life as part of their community.

As a result of the promotion of British values, pupils are expected to develop:

  • An understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process;
  • An appreciation that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and is essential for their wellbeing and safety;
  • An understanding that there is a separation of power between the executive and the judiciary, and that whilst some public bodies such as the police and the army can be held to account through Parliament, others such as the courts maintain independence;
  • An understanding that the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law;
  • An acceptance that other people having different faiths and beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour.
  • An understanding of the importance of identifying and combatting discrimination.