Promoting British Values at Southey Green Primary

The Department for Education states that 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.”

In line with the with the Department for Education’s five-part definition, we promote the following British values

• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual respect
• Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

What does this mean for my child?

At Southey Green Primary, our efforts to promote fundamental British values are designed to prepare children for life in modern Britain.

Ultimately, we aim to help pupils understand:

• The importance of combatting discrimination
• How we can influence decision-making by taking part in democratic processes like voting and petitioning
• Our freedom under British law to choose different faiths and beliefs
• That the law is there to keep us safe

We teach our children these values through the curriculum and varied daily interactions to ensure that they understand British Values and how they link to Southey Green Primary School’s values. Here are some examples of when British values are shared:

Democracy

Democracy is the essence of our modern community. The ability to understand and communicate are the most important areas of learning. Furthermore, children should be able to develop an understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process.

• Jigsaw class charter agreed by all pupils in PSHE/Jigsaw sessions
• Southey Green Primary Core Values, which is at the heart of everything we do.
• School Council which meets regularly to discuss issues raised by other pupils.
• Annual pupil questionnaires where they are able to put forward their views about the school.

The Rule of Law

An important part of British values is the understanding that any society or community can only work well, and protect all its members, if there are rules which everyone is expected to follow.  The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced at Southey Green Primary.

Pupils are taught from an early age the values of the school.

• School, class charter and playground rules
• Behaviour and achievement system with specified, clear consequences that are enforced fairly and equally throughout the school when rules are broken
• Visits from authorities such as Police and Fire and services
• Celebration assemblies 
• Crucial Crew visit in Y6, role play activities involving Police, Fire service and Magistrates Court

Individual Liberty

At Southey Green Primary 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 informed choices, through a safe environment and an empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely.

• Online Safety
• PSHE / Jigsaw lessons.
• P4C lessons
• PSHE regarding making sensible decisions
• Responsibility and undertaking of key school roles
• Through choice of challenge within classrooms

Mutual Respect

Children are taught to respect and value others, whether they hold the same views as they do, or exhibit the same behaviours as they do, or not.  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.

• Celebration assemblies
• Learner of the day/week, class
• Celebration of achievement outside the school – e.g. Children’s University
•  PSHE and RE study enriches children’s understanding of mutual respect
• Wide nature of the curriculum allows for focus upon celebrating and investigating different cultural histories and approaches

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

Children are taught that everyone has a right to their own belief and to practice their own religion, as long as they are not stopping others from doing the same.  At Southey Green Primary, we actively promote diversity through our celebrations of different faiths and cultures. Religious Education lessons and PSHE/Jigsaw lessons reinforce messages of tolerance and respect for others. Members of different faiths and religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school.

• Assemblies

• ‘Philosophy for Children’ sessions

• Understanding of racism and the impact of racist comments

• Bullying discussed and understood through PSHE/Jigsaw sessions

• Curriculum learning through RE and PSHE/Jigsaw

• Links to other schools

• External visitors who share information about different faiths and beliefs

• Visiting vicars – Carol Service

SMSC in school aims to promote British Values through:

• Learning how to apply these values in life
• Understanding the difference between right and wrong
• Becoming lawful citizens
• Developing skills so that pupils can contribute fully to the British way of life
• Understanding and respecting the range of different cultures in / beyond school

Promoting British Values through PSHE (Jigsaw) and RE (Discovery RE)

Jigsaw (PSHE) and Discovery RE contribute to the British Values agenda very significantly, both through the direct teaching of information and through the experiential learning children will enjoy.

The 5 strands of the British Values agenda have been mapped across every Puzzle and every Piece  (lesson) and throughout each key theme in RE. 

We link our whole school assemblies to the Jigsaw Themes and Values being taught and applied through the PSHE curriculum. We are proud of the way we promote emotional wellbeing for all our pupils through our Jigsaw programme which underpins the whole of our curriculum.

Understanding and knowledge expected of our pupils as a result of promoting fundamental British values:

• 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 the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law; 
• an acceptance that other people having different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour; and 
• an understanding of the importance of identifying and combatting discrimination.