British Values Statement

BRITISH VALUES STATEMENT 

 The Department for Education 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. Etruscan Primary School reflects British values in all that we do. These values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

• We value the diversity of all pupils, families and wider school community. 
• Our school mission statement is ‘Reach for the Stars’ and our ethos is underpinned by the overarching value of Respect. The school values are Respect, Enjoyment, Achievement, Collaboration and Honesty (REACH).
• We aim to nurture our children on their journey through life so that they can grow into safe, caring, democratic, responsible and tolerant adults who make a positive difference to British society and to the world.
• We deliver a Learning Challenge Curriculum which takes an enquiry approach to learning and is built around themes which enable our children to broaden their cultural experiences and to learn about the world around them.
• We aim to provide pupils with opportunities to explore and develop their own values and beliefs, spiritual awareness, high standards of personal behaviour, a positive, caring attitude towards other people, an understanding of their social and cultural traditions and an appreciation of the diversity and richness of a variety of cultures.
• We encourage our children to be creative, unique, open-minded and independent individuals, respectful of themselves and of others in our school, our local community and the wider world.  

 At Etruscan Primary School, we actively promote British values in the following ways:

DEMOCRACY

Democracy is taken seriously. Children are actively encouraged to have a voice and share their views and opinions regularly. Our active School Council is one such example.  Every September we hold hustings and then a secret ballot to elect representatives from each class. The School Council representatives meet every half term and take the ideas from the meeting back to their classes for discussion.

Every child also contributes their ideas to the composition of their own class rules every year, setting ground rules for classroom conduct and establishing the standards of behaviour children can expect from each other over the year ahead.  All children are encouraged to debate topics of interest, express their views and make a meaningful contribution to the running of the school on matters that directly involve pupils.  Children also have the opportunity to have their voices heard through pupil questionnaires and pupil surveys. The principle of democracy is explored in the curriculum as well as during Collective Worship and special days. 

RULE OF LAW

The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout the school day, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies.  Children 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. Our school rules, rewards and sanctions, which are displayed in all classrooms, referred to regularly and consistently upheld, are a practical example of this.

Visits from authorities such as the police and fire service help reinforce this message. During Religious Education lessons, children learn about rules and codes of living in the religions studied.

INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY

Within school, children are actively encouraged to make decisions and choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young children to take risks and make choices safely.  Children are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our work on E-Safety. Whether it be through choice of learning challenge, how they record their learning or participation in one of our extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, children are given the freedom to make choices and make decisions. Vulnerable pupils are protected and stereotypes challenged.  A strong anti-bullying culture is embedded in the school and any form of bullying is challenged and addressed.  The school also operates a robust system of logging incidents. Children have key roles and responsibilities in school e.g. team captains, playground and friendship buddies,  School Council representatives, prefects and Eco representatives. Children learn about individuals who have made a contribution to society and individual liberty eg. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela in assemblies/ collective worship and History and RE lessons.

MUTUAL RESPECT AND TOLERANCE OF THOSE WITH DIFFERENT FAITHS AND BELIEFS

As a school which serves a diverse community, 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 are expected treat each other with respect. Collective worship is regularly planned to promote respect and tolerance either directly or through the inclusion of stories and celebrations from a variety of faiths and cultures. Our RE and PSHE teaching reinforces this.   The children explore the world faiths of Islam and Judaism alongside their learning about Christianity. The school marks significant dates in the calendar with events, assemblies and displays to raise awareness e.g. Black History Month, Refugee Week. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within collective worship and by contributing to lessons. .

 Children are encouraged to adopt and live out our core values. These complement the key ‘British Values’ of tolerance, respect, understanding, compassion and harmonious living.