PROMOTING BRITISH VALUES

The Government set out its definition of British Values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy.   Initially all schools were required to ‘respect’ these values, but following further guidance from the Department of Education in November 2014 schools now have to ‘actively promote’ British Values.

A key part of the Government’s plan is to ensure that children become valuable and fully rounded members of society who treat others with respect and tolerance, regardless of background.  They want every school to promote the basic British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs.

At Leverstock Green School we aim to achieve this in the following ways:

DEMOCRACY

Children are given opportunities to express their views in discussions in class, through the Change Team, pupil questionnaires, and pupil voice.  They were actively involved in the writing of the Behaviour policy and remain involved in its execution. Two children from each KS2 class are elected by their peers to join the Change Team each year.

THE RULE OF LAW

The importance of laws, whether they govern the ruling of the country, the school or the class are reinforced through the behaviour policy and school assemblies.  Children are taught the value and reasons for laws and that they are there to protect us together with the consequences of breaking the law.  Visits from outside agencies, like the Police and Fire Service help to reinforce these messages. Each class develops a class charter/agreement every

September. Visits from our local PCSO and a magistrate reinforce key aspects of British law, including the age of criminal responsibility and the criminal justice system.

INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY

In school we teach children to make choices within safe boundaries thus empowering them for the future.  They are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms whilst at the same time having respect for other people.  This is supported by work carried out in PSHE and E-safety lessons and underpinned by our behaviour policy.

MUTUAL RESPECT

As a Church of England school our core values include respect for others and this is reinforced during RE lessons, assemblies and class discussions.  It is also embedded within all our dealings with others.  Parents, pupils, staff and governors selected love, respect and forgiveness as our core Christian values and all members of our community are expected to follow these minimum expectations. The children have opportunity to learn about a wide range of identities through enrichment events such as School Diversity Week, Rainbow Day, Black History Month and many more. Fortnightly, we deliver ‘No Outsiders’ focused worships that are focused around usualising diversity and ensuring our children are respectful, well-rounded individuals.

ACCEPTING AND VALUING THOSE OF DIFFERENT FAITHS AND BELIEFS

Although we are a church school, we welcome families of all faiths and none at all and we value highly the learning opportunities and experiences this brings. We believe that tolerance comes through greater understanding of those beliefs.  Our RE syllabus includes the major world faiths and we aim to deliver high quality lessons in which children are empowered to ask questions and explore the similarities and differences between different religions.  Learning is further enhanced by visitors from other faiths who are able to explain those beliefs through first hand experience.  Our RE Ambassadors, as well as promoting our core values, promote understanding and acceptance of different faiths and are representative of many faiths, not just Christianity.