British Values
The government has set out its definition of British Values as:
• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual respect and Tolerance of different faiths and Beliefs
As a Catholic School, we promote British Values though our mission statement, our faith, Religious Education, assemblies, collective worships and our day to day school life. They are woven into everything we do. We also promote British Values through our spiritual, moral, social and cultural education and ensure our curriculum and teaching strives to educate the ‘whole child’ and provide inclusive learning. As a staff, we all strive to promote British Values through our behaviour and act as role models for our children. We are confident that our continued focus on the Gospel Values will give our pupils the necessary awareness of what it means to be a good citizen and ensures that the children are ready for life in 21st Century Britain.
Democracy
We actively promote and model democracy by:
• Having a school council and allowing pupils to vote for their own class representatives.
• Highlighting the development of democratic ideas in history lessons.
• Ensuring all pupils are listened to by adults.
• Encouraging children to express their views through circle time and pupil voice.
• Teaching history topics such as the Vikings, Saxons, Ancient Greece and the changing role of British monarchs.
The Rule of Law
We actively promote and model the rule of law by:
• Classes creating “class rules”.
• Having a clear behaviour policy that is explained to all.
• A consistent behaviour management system clearly displayed within each classroom.
• Helping children to distinguish right from wrong e.g. by using the example of Christ when dealing with behaviour that is not acceptable.
• Regular class and school awards and special celebrations.
• Use of praise and rewards to promote positive behaviour.
• Organising visits from the police service to reinforce the message of right and wrong.
• Highlighting the rules of the Church and God in the RE curriculum, for example the 10 commandments.
Individual Liberty
We actively promote and model the rule of law by:
• Encourage students to be independent in their learning.
• Supporting pupils to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence through our Catholic ethos and our way of treating people.
• By investing in meeting the needs of all of the children, by providing equality of opportunity and by knowing and understanding the needs of all of the children.
• Openly discussing and celebrating the differences between people such as different faiths, gender, ethnicity and disability through PSHE and RSE using the Ten Ten programme.
• Encouraging pupils to take responsibility for their behaviour as well as knowing their rights e.g. by having a fair and consistent behaviour management policy.
• Implementing a strong anti-bullying culture.
Mutual Respect and Tolerance of Different Faiths and Beliefs
We actively promote and model mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs by:
• Having a mission statement that is inclusive.
• Promoting respect for individual differences e.g. through assemblies and masses, the RE curriculum, diversity of cultures is represented in the school through our Catholic ethos.
• Using assemblies and class work promote the diversity of society and the right for each person to be respected and valued equally regardless of ability, gender, faith, heritage or ethnicity.
• Collective worship offers opportunities to teach tolerance and understanding.
• Diversity is also promoted through music, displays, drama and children’s literature.
• Constantly promoting respect for others as good manners.
• Reinforcing the value of everyone’s opinions in class discussions.
• Having an effective anti-bullying policy.
• Promoting diversity through children’s literature, music and displays.
• Emphasising in RE, RSE and PSHE lessons that every person is unique and “created in the image of God”
• Supporting charitable works such as Children in Need, Mission Together and CAFOD.
