British Values
In accordance with The Department for Education we aim to actively promote British values in schools to ensure young people leave school prepared for life in modern Britain.
Pupils are encouraged to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect and tolerance and understand that while different people may hold different views about what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, all people living in England are subject to its law.
The Key Values are:
- democracy
- rule of law
- individual liberty
- mutual respect
- tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
The DfE have recently reinforced 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.” The Government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values have been reiterated this year (2014). At Oakleaf these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:
Democracy
Democracy is embedded throughout 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 air their opinions and ideas through our School Council and ongoing opportunities for pupil voice.
The elections of the School Council members are based on pupil votes, reflecting our British electoral system and demonstrating democracy in action.
Each class agree and write their own set of Class Rules. These are set at the beginning of the new school year and all children sign up to them. These are then displayed in each classroom.
The Rule of Law
The importance of laws whether they are those that govern the class, the school or the country, are consistently reinforced. Pupils are taught from an early age the rules of the school, which are deeply embedded in our day to day working.
Each class also discusses and sets its own rules that are clearly understood by all and seen to be necessary to ensure that every class member is able to learn in a safe and ordered environment.
Our pupils are taught the value and reasons behind rules and laws, that they govern and protect us, allowing us to live and learn safely, fairly and co-operatively with others. Pupils are taught the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws and rules are broken.
Restorative conversations and actions are an integral part of our behaviour policy and children are encouraged to reflect on the choices they have made and to consider the impact negative choices have on people around them.
Visits from authorities such as the police and fire service help reinforce this message
Individual Liberty
At Oakleaf, 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 informed choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and a confidence building, 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.
Pupils are given the freedom to make choices, for example, whether it is through choice of activity or challenge, choices in their learning/work, the Golden Time activities they wish to take part in or by choosing to participate in extra-curricular clubs and opportunities.
Our behaviour policy stresses that children choose how they behave and that they are therefore accountable for these choices, and the resulting consequences. We reinforce positive behaviour and choices through shared expectations and praise, using empathic and restorative discussions and actions.
Mutual Respect
The core value of respect at Oakleaf Primary School underpins the ethos of our work every day, both in and out of the classroom. We are a highly inclusive school and as such we teach that everyone is special and unique with differences and similarities that must be respected. We teach our children to respect the feelings and thoughts of others and to consider these in their own actions. We teach them to respect the rights of others to live and learn and to respect their own property and that of others.
Pupils take part in discussions in assemblies, circle times, PSHE lessons and SEAL activities relating to what respect is, means and how it is and can be shown.
Our school and classroom rules, as well as our behaviour policy reiterate this.
Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs
Chaulden Infants’ & Nursery School is a growing multi-cultural school serving an increasingly diverse local community and as such we support and celebrate that diversity.
This is achieved through enhancing pupils understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience aspects of such diversity.
We follow the Hertfordshire Scheme for RE and this curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Through this scheme we introduce our children to Christianity and other religions and the core principles of tolerance and understanding within them.
Through Assemblies, Religious Education lessons and PSHE lessons we make our children aware of the different beliefs, festivals, important people and artefacts that are important to those religions and cultures. Wherever possible, children visit different places of worship eg a church, a mosque and visitors also come into school to talk about their faiths eg Hinduism.
Through these opportunities our pupils gain an enhanced understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society.
