British Values and Healthy Minds

British Values

At Rowanfield Junior School we want our pupils to be successful, confident learners and responsible citizens. We recognise the importance of both the academic & personal development and the well-being of every child in our school.

What are British Values?

In 2014 the Government published a document that emphasised the importance of teaching fundamental British Values in schools:

Democracy
The Rule of Law
Individual Liberty
Tolerance & Respect

How do we promote 'British Values' at our school?

British Values have always been promoted at our school, through assemblies, Religious Education, topic work, our curriculum and PSHE sessions.

We seek to promote British Values in our policies and practice at our school. Our activities and the way we manage learning and behaviour, clearly reflect British Values. We promote these values in the following ways:

Democracy

There are many opportunities for all members of our school community to have their voices heard:

Children have the opportunity to become members of the Pupil Parliament (PP) through an election process. The PP meet on a regular basis and members can bring issues for discussion that have been raised by their class peers.
Our open door policy ensures parents can have easy access to office staff, class teachers and members of the Leadership Team.
Our staff team meets every week after school to discuss all aspects of school life. This meeting provides a perfect opportunity for feedback to the Leadership Team.

The Rule of Law

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. We have visits from local Police officers to reinforce their understanding. Year 5 take part in a 'Mini Police' project run by local PCSOs.
We ensure that school rules and expectations are clear and fair. The class rules, agreed with the children at the start of each year, are an example of this. The children spend time talking about what the rules should be, why they need to have certain rules and also understanding the implications of breaking the rules.
We help pupils to distinguish right from wrong, e.g. during everyday interactions and discussions of stories, fables and other literary materials.
During Religious Education, the children learn about other faith and belief systems and consider the rules that govern those. Other school subjects provide opportunities for children to appreciate and understand the importance of rules - in a PE lesson for example.

Individual Liberty

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. We promote freedom of choice and the right to respectfully express views and beliefs.
Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised to exercise these safely, for example through our Anti-Bullying, E-safety and PSHE lessons.
We support pupils to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence through all areas of teaching and learning in school.
Stereotypes in school are challenged.
Children are encouraged to take responsibility for their behaviour, as well as knowing their rights.

Respect & Tolerance

We aim to develop an understanding in every pupil of respect for a wide range of religious values, languages and cultural traditions and different ways of life.
Our pupils understand that it is expected that respect is shown to everyone, irrespective of whatever differences they may have. Children learn that their behaviour choices have an effect on their own rights and those of others.
We will always challenge prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour e.g. through discussions as well as our approach to behaviour in school.
We hold numerous fund-raising events throughout the year to support a variety of charities that have touched some of our children and their families. This raises awareness of the charity, its work and the people it supports, among the children.
The curriculum is used to maximum effect to enhance pupil's understanding and respect for their own, and other, faiths and beliefs.

At our schools these values are reinforced in a variety of ways, underpinned by the '4 Ds' vision. Duty is a key element which we use to model and articulate British values, linked to our robust PSHCE curriculum (Personal Social Health and Citizenship Education) which has been developed in relation to our own context, in response to the needs of the community (local needs analysis), OFSTED findings of PSHCE teaching in England (PSHE report 2013) and the most up to date guidance on safeguarding children.

We also want children to know the differences between themselves and others, challenging negative attitudes and stereotypes.

Our wider broad and balanced curriculum promotes this development across all subjects. This is summarised below:

Healthy Minds

Our safeguarding practices and policies ensure that we recognise the signs of all kinds of abuse, including exploitation, grooming and radicalisation. We are also mindful of the Prevent Strategy and the role that the school plays in ensuring that spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is focused on tolerance for others with respect for the rule of law as core values. The DfE have reinforced the need ‘to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote fundamental British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance with those with different faiths and beliefs.’

The Prevent strategy provides further guidance on how schools can ensure that children know right from wrong, mix and share with other children and value others’ views.

Staff and volunteers are trained on and regularly review safeguarding practice which is outliined in our safeguarding handbook. All policies can be found via the All About Us tab.

To find out the latest advice from the government on how we can all help to protect our children from extremism, click below: