Our school reflects British Values in all we do.
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.
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.
What are British Values?
Schools have been asked to explain how they promote British values. So what are ‘British values? There are certain values that have been attributed to being British, by the government and some institutions, and these fall into the following broad areas:
- Democracy
- The Rule of Law
- Individual Liberty
- Tolerance & Respect
How do we specifically promote ‘British Values’ at St. John’s Primary School?
We seek to promote British values in our policies and practice here at St. John’s C of E (Aided) Primary School. Our activities and the way we manage learning and behaviour, clearly reflect British values.
This is evident throughout Collective Worship, Religious Education and our curricular and enrichment activities. We use visits and visitors to school to enhance experiences and develop deeper knowledge and understanding.
Democracy
We provide pupils with a broad general knowledge of, and promote respect for, public institutions and services by discussing these whenever appropriate in curriculum work.
We teach pupils how they can influence decision making through the democratic process and we encourage pupils to become involved in decision making processes linked to the local Town Council and ensure they are listened to in school through a range of Pupil Voice activities. We help pupils to express their views through curriculum and enrichment opportunities. Our‘Investing in Children’ award recognises the quality of work in this area.
We model how perceived injustice can be peacefully challenged through our interactions with pupils and the schools’ behaviour system.
The Rule of Law
We ensure school rules and expectations are clear and fair by discussing these with pupils and establishing classroom rules with pupils themselves. We help pupils to distinguish right from wrong during everyday interactions and Collective Worship and we focus on fairness and justice to resolve any conflict as part of sanctions and our approach to behaviour.
Help pupils to understand that living under the rule of law protects individuals including the vulnerable in society. We include visits from the Police, Community Police Officers, the Fire Service and other agencies in our curriculum and community safety work.
Individual Liberty
We support pupils to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence through every aspect of teaching and learning in school. Pupils take responsibility for their behaviour, as well as knowing their wider rights and responsibilities. We implement a strong anti-bullying culture and actively challenge stereotypes.
Respect and Tolerance
We promote respect for individual differences and help pupils to acquire an understanding of, and respect for, their own and other cultures and ways of life.
We challenge prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour. We organise visits to diverse places of worship and do not solely focus on Christianity in our curriculum.
We develop critical personal thinking skills throughout our curricular work. This includes discussion on the differences between people, including; faith, ethnicity, disability, gender or sexuality, and different family situations.
Our School Christian Values
These British Values link well to our School Christian Values
- Democracy – Justice / Trust / Hope
- The Rule of Law -Koinonia (Fellowship) / Service
- Individual Liberty – Peace / Humility / Endurance
- Tolerance & Respect – Compassion / Forgiveness / Friendship / Thankfulness / Wisdom / Reverence
