British Values
School Policy on Promoting British Values
Department for Education Guidance
Promoting British values
In June 2014, the then secretary of state for education, Michael Gove, announced that schools are required to promote British values from September 2014.
Fundamental British values are defined by the Department for Education as
- Democracy: Respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic process
- The rule of law: Respect for the basis on which the law is made and applies in England
- Individual liberty: Support and respect for the liberties of all within the law
- Mutual respect and tolerance: Support for equality of opportunity for all and respect an
- Tolerance of different faiths and religious and other beliefs
Democracy
- Providing pupils with a broad general knowledge of and promote respect for public institutions and services through lessons, assemblies and curriculum programmes
- Using the Student Council and Eco Council to teach their peers how they can influence decision making through democratic process
- Encouraging children to be aware of injustice, perceived or real and think about ways in which this can be challenged through school processes or in the wider world, Charity Fundraising initiatives and awareness raising campaigns.
Rule of Law
- Ensuring school rules and expectations are transparent, clear and fair, available for all to consult and that they are used consistently across the different areas and age groups within the school.
- Helping our children to distinguish right from wrong through discussion and modelling positive behaviour
- Helping our children to understand that the law and living under the rule of law is intended to protect individuals and to seek opportunities in lessons to review understanding of the rule of law and its effects upon individuals and groups.
- Helping our children to understand that the law is to be respected through upholding and adhering to it as a community and to our own school golden rules.
Individual Liberty
- Supporting all our children to develop positive self-esteem, self-confidence and self-awareness and self- knowledge.
- Encouraging our children to have responsibility for their own behaviour and acknowledge the effects it may have on others.
- Challenging stereotypes and promoting individuality at every opportunity, modelled by staff to set positive examples through the school.
- Working tirelessly to establish and maintain a climate in which all our children feel safe and bullying is not tolerated
Respect and Tolerance
- Promoting respect for individual differences
- Using curricular and extracurricular opportunities to expose our children to British and other cultures, their ways of life and faiths, encouraging and supporting our children to grow in their understanding and appreciation of these.
- Discussing differences between people: ethnicity, gender, faith, disability, sexuality and family situations such as young carers or looked after children ensuring that our children can understand these different elements within British society.