British Values

At Thelwall Community Infant School we will promote the values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs. We will teach and encourage pupils to respect one another and to respect and tolerate difference, especially those of a different faith or no faith. It is indeed our most fundamental responsibility to keep our pupils safe and prepare them for life in modern multi-cultural Britain and globally. Please see below for more information on how we promote British Values. Please also take a look at our Values curriculum to see how they are taught within the curriculum.

Promoting British Values

British Value

How we promote it

Democracy

Links to our values curriculum:

Friendship – ‘I can tell you what being a good friend means to me.’

‘I know how to listen to my friends.’

Cooperation – I can stand up for my own rights without hurting others.’

Happiness – ‘I can let you know if I feel happy or sad and what makes me happy or sad.’

Respect & Tolerance: ‘I can listen when other people are talking.’

‘I know that people don’t always see things in the same way.’

Honesty: ‘I can talk about my feelings.’

UN CRC Article 12: Every child has the right to have a say in all matters affecting them, and to have their views taken seriously.

  • We have an elected school council. This is used as an opportunity to promote and teach about democracy and the electoral process.
  • The School Council are encouraged to voice their own opinions and give a point of view on behalf of their class.
  • All pupils are encouraged to discuss and question our school values during regular PSHE lessons and assemblies.
  • Children are able to choose their own lunch, where they play at break times and which after school club they wish to attend.
  • In Foundation Stage, children have a choice about what activities they do in a session.
  • Our Christmas productions feature every child.
  • In our Real PE curriculum children are able to give an opinion about their learning i.e. how they challenged themselves or improved.
  • Questionnaires are used to elicit views of stakeholders about a variety of school issues and procedures.

The Rule of Law

Links to our values curriculum:

Friendship – ‘I can say sorry when I have been unkind.’ I can share things with my friends.’ I know how to make up with my friends when we have fallen out.’

Cooperation – ‘I can tell you what is fair and unfair.’

Respect & Tolerance – ‘I know how to look after things at school and home.’

Honesty – ‘I always tell the truth.’ ‘I know what it means when something is or isn’t your fault.’ ‘I understand the importance of owning up when I’m involved in something that’s gone wrong.’ I know that it isn’t right to take something that isn’t mine.’

Thoughtfulness – ‘I know what to do and how to behave in my classroom/school.’ ‘I can change my behaviour if I stop and think about what I am doing.’

UN CRC Article 19: Governments must do all they can to ensure that children are protected from all forms of violence, abuse, neglect and bad treatment by their parents or anyone else who looks after them.

  • Children are rewarded and praised for exhibiting good and caring behaviour. Consistent demonstration of our values is recognised through our values certificates, class stickers, marbles in the jar scheme and celebration assemblies.
  • Ofsted recognised our high standards of behaviour and awarded us a grade of ‘Outstanding’ in this area.
  • Our school rules are reviewed and agreed at the beginning of each year with the children. The rules are displayed in each classroom and children are aware of expectations and consequences.
  • All our staff receive annual training in Safeguarding.
  • Children are regularly taught about the importance of safety.
  • The local PCSOs and Fire Service visit school regularly to talk to the children and explain about their role in society.
  •  Each year the rules of Road Safety are explained to children through annual workshops
  • Behaviour and esafety policies are regularly reviewed by staff and governors.
  • Through school assemblies and PSHE children are helped to develop a strong sense of what is right and wrong and doing the right thing when it is difficult.

 

Individual Liberty

Links to our values curriculum:

Friendship – ‘I can make my friends feel good by complimenting them.’ ‘I know how to listen to my friends.’

Co-operation – ‘I can stand up for my own rights without hurting others.’ I can use peaceful problem solving to sort out a problem so everyone feels ok.’

Happiness – ‘I can tell you about my gifts and talents and what makes me proud.’ ‘I know what makes me relaxed and what makes me stressed.’

Respect & Tolerance – ‘I like the ways we are different.’ ‘I know that people have different beliefs.’

Honesty – ‘I can say what I need.’ I can tell you what I have learned and ask for help when I need to.’

Thoughtfulness – ‘I can understand my own feelings and those of others.

Hope & Perseverance – ‘I can tell you what a goal is and set a realistic goal for myself.’

UN CRC Article 15: Every child has the right to meet with other children and to join groups and organisations, as long as this does not stop other people from enjoying their rights.

UN CRC Article 31: Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities.

  • Through our school values curriculum we promote everyone’s right to ‘be who they are’, facilitating personal achievement and celebrating individuality. Children are taught about personal responsibility, choices, ambition and aspiration.
  • Each classroom has a ‘light tree’ for children to hang messages about theirs and other’s achievements on.
  • Exemplary writing is celebrated in the use of WAGOLL boards (what a good one looks like).
  • Weekly celebration assembly is an opportunity for children to showcase their ‘good work’ and exemplary behaviour.
  • Children are taught about bullying through workshops, circle times and assemblies, emphasising their right to express their concerns and have them listened to and dealt with sympathetically.
  • Our wide range of extra curricula clubs is totally inclusive.
  • Cultural stereotypes are challenged through the use of stories and other resources

Mutual Respect

Links to our values curriculum:

Friendship – ‘I know how to be friendly to people.’ I know that sometimes when people are not very nice to me it’s because they don’t feel very good inside.’

Co-operation – ‘I can see when people are working together fairly.’ ‘I can use peaceful problem solving to sort out a problem so everyone feels ok.’

Happiness – ‘I like belonging to my class/school.’

Respect & Tolerance – ‘I always use good manners.’ I understand that people have to make hard choices and that sometimes they have no choice.’

Honesty – ‘I always tell the truth.’ ‘I know that it isn’t right to take something that isn’t mine.’

Thoughtfulness – ‘I can help to make my classroom/school a safe and fair place and a good place to learn.’

UN CRC Article 2: The Convention applies to everyone: whatever their race, religion or abilities, whatever they think or say, whatever type of family they come from.

UN CRC Article 30: Every child has the right to learn and use the language, customs and religion of their family, regardless of whether those are shared by the majority of people in the country where they live.

  • Through our school values curriculum and ethos of the school, children are taught to have respect for others. They learn to cooperate and work and play collaboratively as well as exploring and understanding similarities and differences between them.
  • Through our enquiry-based RE curriculum children develop an understanding of and respect for people from all races, religions and abilities.
  • Our School good work blogs enables all our community to respond positively to other children’s work and achievements.
  • Celebration assemblies give opportunity to share in others achievements and best efforts.
  • In Real PE lessons, children encourage each other and celebrate good practice together.
  • We have a totally inclusive curriculum and extra-curricular opportunities.
  • We have high expectations of pupil conduct as reflected in our behaviour policy.
  • Children display excellent manners as a matter of course.

Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs

Links to our values curriculum:

Friendship – ‘I know how to be friendly to people and listen to them.’

Respect & Tolerance – ‘I know that people have different beliefs.’ ‘I know that people don’t always see things in the same way.’ ‘I can tell you some ways in which I am the same as and different from my friends.’

Thoughtfulness – ‘I can help to make the class/school a good place to learn.’

UN CRC Article 14: Every child has the right to think and believe what they want and to practise their religion, as long as they are not stopping other people from enjoying their rights. Governments must respect the rights of parents to give their children information about this right.

  • Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs is promoted through our Syllabus for Religious Education. Children learn about different faiths, their beliefs, places of worship and festivals.
  • Children learn to explore different faiths through   questioning and seek to find common ground between people of different faiths or of no faith.
  • Assemblies celebrate faith festivals as well as sharing stories from different faiths and cultures.
  • Children have the opportunity to visit places of worship.
  • Resources in school reflect the diversity of children’s faiths.