Kingsdown & RingwouldBritish Values
Promoting British Values at Kingsdown and Ringwould CE Primary School
At Kingsdown and Ringwould Church of England Primary School, we value the diversity of the backgrounds of all pupils, families and the wider school community and strongly believe in upholding British values through all aspects of our school provision.
The DofE 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”.
Our school reflects British values in all that we do. We aim to nurture our children on their journey through life so they can grow into safe, caring, democratic, responsible and tolerant adults who make a positive difference to British society and to the world and the wider world.
What is meant by British values?
Learning about British values forms a key part of children’s spiritual, moral, cultural and social education. The four British values that the Government has identified for schools to focus on are:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
At Kingsdown and Ringwould CEP School these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:
- Democracy: Democracy is encouraged
within the school. Teachers allow the children to state opinions and where appropriate make decisions. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our pupil leadership teams. The elections of house captains and charity monitors are based solely on pupil votes. We also send out regular questionnaires to ascertain children’s thoughts and put any ideas into action.
- The Rule of Law: The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the playground, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days. Each class displays their rules and the school rules are regular reinforced through assemblies. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Children are aware that breaking the rules have consequences; this could include the sanction room, where a reflection sheet will be carried out.
- Individual Liberty: Within school, pupils are
actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. One of our Habits of Mind is to take responsible risks. We educate and provide boundaries for young pupils to make choices safely, through provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons, or special assemblies about road, beach or fire safety etc. Whether it be through choice of challenge, of how they record, of participation in our extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices. We have a strong anti-bullying culture where pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their behaviour. Pupil self-esteem and self-confidence are paramount.
- Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:
The school strongly promotes respect for individual differences. Pupils are helped to acquire an understanding of, and respect for, their own and other cultures and ways of life. Staff and pupils are encouraged to challenge prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour. Actively promoting our values also means challenging pupils, staff or parents expressing opinions contrary to fundamental values, including ‘extremist’ views.
Through the PSHE and RE curriculums, pupils are encouraged to discuss and respect differences between people, such as differences of faith, ethnicity, disability, gender or sexuality and differences of family situations, such as looked after children or young carers.
In all our provision, both academic and otherwise, we endeavour for our school community to develop an understanding of British values and a strong desire to uphold them both now and as future British citizens.
