In support of the Department for Education (DofE) document: Promoting fundamental British values as part of SMSC in schools, Departmental advice for maintained schools, November 2014.

 

At Kingsholm Church of England Primary School and Nursery, we value the diversity of all pupils, families and the wider school community. We strongly believe in upholding British values through all aspects of school life.

 

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 to grow into safe, caring, democratic, responsible, and tolerant adults who make a positive difference to British society and the world and the wider world. At Kingsholm, we actively challenge children, staff or parents who express opinions contrary to fundamental British Values, including ‘extremist' views.

 

What is meant by British values?

 

Learning about British values forms a key part of our children’s spiritual, moral, cultural and social education. The five British values that the Government has identified for schools to focus on are:

 

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

 

Democracy 

Our children have many opportunities for their voices to be heard. We have a school council that meets regularly to discuss issues raised in class council meetings. The council has its budget and is able to effect change within the school. The council members for each class are elected by their peers. Children in the school council have weekly meetings where their views and the ideas of their class members can be heard. Staff members work with the councillors to evaluate the impact of their work, such as the lunch time catering team discussing the menus. Additionally, our councillors have balloted and supported the process of choosing charities for our children to become courageous advocates - raising money and awareness for charities that are of interest to our children. 

 

In Year 6, our children have the opportunity to become part of our pupil parliament. At the end of Year 5, the children can write a letter to our Headteacher and apply to be a Worship, Learning, Healthy Eating, Pastoral, Sports or Environment Minister. If their application is successful, they are then interviewed by our Headteacher. 

 

Once they become a Minister, they are then able to run to be our Prime Minister. The ministers who would like to be elected as Prime Minister run an election campaign. This involves talking to the children about why they should be elected and what they would do for the school if they were elected Prime Minister. A democratic election is then held, where each child can vote for our new Prime Minister through our ballot system.

 

The Rule of Law

The importance of Laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, is consistently reinforced throughout regular school days and when dealing with behaviour and through school worship. Our children are taught about the value and reasons behind laws and that they govern and protect us. They are also taught about the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Regular visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service help to reinforce this message.

 

Individual Liberty

Children are actively encouraged to make choices within our school, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school, we educate and provide boundaries for our children to make choices safely by providing a safe environment and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example, through online safety and Wellbeing (PSHE and RSHE) lessons. Additionally, children are given the freedom of choice when participating in our Kingsholm University, numerous extra-curricular clubs and whether to take up extra roles within our Kingsholm family.

 

Mutual Respect

As a Church of England School, mutual respect is at the heart of our values. Children learn that their behaviours influence their rights and those of others. All members of the school community treat each other with respect.

 

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

Kingsholm is situated in a culturally diverse area; therefore, we greatly emphasise promoting diversity with our children. Worship is regularly planned to address this issue either directly or through the inclusion of stories and celebrations from various faiths and cultures. Our RE and Wellbeing teaching reinforce this. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. Children visit places of worship that are important to different faiths. 

 

By successfully promoting British Values allows our children to have:

 

• 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 there is a separation of power between the executive and the judiciary, and that while some public bodies such as the police and the army can be held to account through Parliament, others such as the courts maintain independence; 
• 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.