Promoting British Values

The Department for Education state there is a 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.”

At Staindrop CE Primary School and Pre-School, we are committed to these values and regularly reinforce them in the following ways:

Democracy

Democracy is embedded at the school. Pupils are always listened to by adults and are taught to listen carefully and with concern to each other, respecting the right of every individual to have their opinions and voices heard. Pupils also have the opportunity to give their opinions and ideas through our School Council and regular discussions in all classes. The elections of the School Council members and Head Boy and Girl are based solely on pupil votes, reflecting our British electoral system and demonstrating democracy in action. We also give our Head Boy/Girl and Key Stage 2 School Council Members the opportunity to visit Parliament in London every two years. The latest visit was in September 2019. Following this they lead workshops in classes around the theme of democracy.

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws whether they are those that govern the class, the school or the country, are consistently reinforced. Our school has rules, which are embedded in our work every day. Our pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws. They understand that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws or rules 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, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for our pupils to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and an empowering education. Our pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely; examples of this can be clearly seen in our e-safety and P.S.H.E. lessons. Whether it is through choice of challenge; of how they record; of participation in our numerous extra- curricular activities; our pupils are given the freedom to make choices. One of our wider curriculum themes is migration, the focus of this at different levels throughout school, is about people’s rights to live in a safe place.

Mutual Respect

Respect is embedded in the ethos of our school. As stated in our Anti-Bullying Policy, we believe that every child has a right to:

· Receive respect from others and give respect to everyone

· Speak and be listened to

· Have the freedom to choose

· Be safe and secure

The pupils know and understand that it is expected and imperative that respect and acceptance is shown to everyone. Many of our books have themes covering acceptance and mutual respect, such as reading about the life of Frida Kahlo. Our school also has books that include a variety of different families and relationships. Our school is committed to developing respect for other cultures. We believe that this respect is fostered through our curriculum. As well as developing intercultural understanding through the vehicle of Primary Languages, our curriculum incorporates a range of cross-curricular opportunities to learn about, and thereby develop greater tolerance of, and respect for, other cultures.

Tolerance of Those With Different Faiths And Beliefs

This is achieved through enhancing pupils’ understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity in our local community, where the vast majority are white British. We are very proud to be linked to a primary school in Bradford and to a school near Paris. We have also had a number of links with large inner-city primary schools in London. We give our pupils the opportunity to research and discover similarities and differences between us and other cultures/faiths through our curriculum, for example studying South America in Geography, Buddhism in RE and past civilizations in History. Likewise, we hold events such as ‘French Day’ and use opportunities such as the Olympics and the World Cup to study and learn about life and culture in countries which participate. We also visit various places of worship e.g. Sikh Gudwara and welcome visitors from other faiths into school