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Promoting British Values at The Park

At The Park Primary School we uphold and teach pupils about British Values which are defined as:

  • democracy
  • rule of law
  • individual liberty
  • mutual respect
  • tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

These values are taught explicitly through Personal, Social, Health and Emotional (PSHE), and Religious Education (RE).  We also teach the British Values through planning and delivering a broad and balanced curriculum.

The school takes opportunities to actively promote British Values through our assemblies and whole school systems and structures such as electing and running a successful School Council. We also actively promote the British values through ensuring that our curriculum planning and delivery includes real opportunities for exploring these values. Actively promoting British Values also means challenging pupils, staff or parents expressing opinions contrary to fundamental British Values, including ‘extremist’ views.

At The Park Primary School, these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy:

In order to reflect the democratic values of our society, we encourage children to value the opinions of their own and this is accomplished through our School Council.

The elections of members of the School Council are based on pupil votes. In May 2015 we will have the opportunity to see and democracy in action plan to use this in order to further children’s understanding of the democratic process.

The Rule of Law:

The importance of laws and rules, whether they are those that govern the class, the school or the country, are consistently reinforced. Each class has an agreed set of rules alongside the school rules which are prominently displayed. Children are taught that community cohesion and personal responsibility are secured through rules and laws in our society, that they are concerned with our safety and that there are consequences when they are broken. Visits from authorities such as the police and fire service are a regular part of our calendar and help reinforce this message.

Individual Liberty: 

Pupils are actively encouraged to make choices at our school, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we provide boundaries for our children to make choices safely. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our e-Safety teaching and PSHE lessons. Pupils are given the freedom to make choices, e.g. signing up for extra-curricular clubs, choose the level of challenge in some lessons.

Mutual Respect:

Part of our school ethos and behaviour policy are based around core values such as ‘respect’ and ‘responsibility’ and these values determine how we live as a community at The Park Primary school. Assemblies promote personal qualities and values for life and are central to how we expect everyone to conduct themselves at our school. Children and adults alike, including visitors, are challenged if they are disrespectful in any way.

Tolerance of Those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:

This is achieved through enhancing pupils’ understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity in our local community. Assemblies and discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in RE and PSHE. We are very proud to be linked to Nirmal Bhartia School in India and linked projects encourage children to consider similarities and differences between our two schools. We actively encourage staff visits between The Park and Nirmal Bhartia, We celebrate the origin and cultures of all of our children and are keen to learn from them. Language club provides an excellent forum for inter cultural discussion and celebration. Likewise we use opportunities such as the Olympics and World Cup to study and learn about life and culture in countries such as Brazil.

Examples of the British Values being taught in the curriculum this year at The Park;

Reception

In Reception we aim to provide our children with a broad and balanced curriculum, in which all children feel valued, respected and are able to reach their full potential.

Through a combination of adult led and independent choosing time, children are taught the value of individual liberty and the importance of making ‘good choices’. We believe it is crucial all children feel confident to discuss how we are all individuals and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs is paramount. Our topic ‘Marvellous me’ was a great way for children to share family traditions with each other, look at how we are all different in appearance and discuss our likes and dislikes openly. Our children respond brilliantly to our ‘Star learner’ initiative. They feel proud when they are chosen as the star learner for the quality we have been working towards for that week and are able to reflect on why they have been chosen as the ‘star learner’ and beam with pride as they wear the class cape.

Another important part of our week is ‘reflection time’, which also links to the SMSC elements of our curriculum. We ask the children to reflect on their week and ask if they can think of a time when they were ‘kind to others’, ‘took turns and shared with friends’ etc. and add their ‘mini me’ picture to our ‘reflection tree’ as they share their

Year 1

Year 1 children are taught the value of democracy through voting for their new role play areas in the classroom. Children’s ideas are heard and shared with others, resulting in a democratic decision on what the next role play area will be. Children also vote for their class treat once they have reached all of their class points. The class point system recognises when their behaviours and attitudes show respect towards others. Children are taught about the value of rules and laws through their learning in the outdoors, including the work at Forest School. Children are learning about Christianity alongside a variety of other religions and faiths to encourage children to celebrate diversity and think about similarities and differences

Year 2

During term 2 Year 2s focus is ‘Festivals’, including tolerating the beliefs of different faiths.  In R.E, children are studying the celebrations that Hindu, Jewish and Christian Faiths use to thank their god for the natural world.  They learn to show mutual respect for one another when working in groups.  The children learn about our partner school in India, recognising the similarities and differences between our daily lives and the festivals we celebrate. They write letters to the children teaching them about a festival we celebrate as well as asking them questions about festivals celebrated in India.

Democracy is promoted and exercised in Year 2 at intervals throughout the year when children vote for their class treat; school council members are also elected.

Year3

In Year 3 children learn about different   religious places of worship. In particular the children look at the similarities of the creation story in different religions including Christianity and Islam. We also look at the rules of different faiths and compare them to rules set down by society and the law. We also look at our own responsibilities in different situations.

During term 3, the children learn about endangered animals and their responsibility towards the environment. They also work together to raise money and make people aware of the dangers towards animals. The money raised sponsors an endangered animal for the year and the children receive letters and information about how their money has helped.

Finally, positive and competitive values are promoted in games and children learn the importance of team spirit along with the enjoyment of taking part rather than always winning.

Year 4

Through our topic about Chocolate children explore Fairtrade and the issues of fairness and personal freedom. We discuss Britain’s place within the world as a global trading power and the responsibility we have to the wider world as a result of our privileged position within it. We explore our personal freedom to purchase produce from a range of sources and the moral and sometimes conflicting issues surrounding this.

While learning about Ancient Greece children gain a good understanding of democracy, its origins in Ancient Greece and the pivotal role it plays within our society. Through the continued discussion of current world affairs throughout the year, we explore the direct impact our parliamentary system has on our lives and the right, as well as freedom, we have to exercise our democratic rights and express our points of views.

In RE we promote respect and tolerance towards other faiths. In particular we look at the use of sacred texts in Islam and Christianity as well as exploring commitment in Christianity and Hinduism.

Through our topic on ‘The Butterfly Lion’ we focus on the personal qualities of the characters within the book, for example exploring the personal qualities of those who served in WWI such as courage, sense of duty, loyalty, comradeship and commitment. We also discuss our responsibility to respect and care for animals both wild and domestic. This is a theme we further explore in our topic on the Rainforest.

We promote creativity and inventiveness through our topic on Robots where we look at British ingenuity.

Year 5

Children in Year 5 are responsible for assisting and maintaining cleanliness in a busy canteen during lunch times which helps them develop an understanding of living in a community. Children continue to take responsibility and show initiative throughout the year as they are invited to assist in hosting various sporting events held at the school.

Children in Year 5 are given the opportunity to understand different cultures through a variety of experiences. For example, by visiting the cinema to watch an educational film set in the Middle East, year 5 children are taught the importance of tolerating different faiths within society and ultimately appreciating cultural diversity. Through further classroom discussions, children are taught to understand the changing of role woman over the past centuries.

Through their geography topic on India, children are learning about the values which Mahatma Gandhi conveyed in creating a far more tolerant society. In addition to this, children have the opportunity to communicate with our partner school in Delhi and are given an insight into how these values are evident across another culture too. As part of our weekly timetable, children are given the opportunity to talk about current affairs. This enables them to understand the basic moral philosophy of current events as well as promoting debating skills.

Children engage in Forest School activities, learning the value of individual liberty making choices about their learning activities, as well as mutual respect for the natural world around them.

Year 6

In Year 6 children have been studying World War 1. They have been studying the role that women played in the Great War and how they paved the way for women’s rights.

We attended the remembrance service at our local church, where children were able to see the impact WW1 had on their local community. A much anticipated school trip to the Imperial War Museum gave the children an opportunity to better understand the scale of war and the numerous sacrifices made by our ancestors.

In Term 3 we will be looking at Nelson Mandela and his struggle against apartheid and how one man made a difference. We study Kenya as part of our topic about Africa. We look at the way in which life in Kenya has been influenced by British democracy.

In preparation for secondary school children will participate in a workshop on the Life Education Bus. They will learn about the effects of drugs and alcohol and how to manage the risks.

In the summer term Y6 will spend a week away at Mill on the Brue. They will face new challenges and learn to work as a team. Many children will be spending time away from home for the first time. The children will gain independence and learn the importance of social skills.

Children in Y6 are expected to not only follow the class and school rules but to act as role models to the rest of the school for that reason we place very high expectations on behaviour.

Stretching beyond the classroom we encourage children to take on a range of responsibilities to develop their core values. A number of children in Y6 are Reading Buddies, supporting a number of children in Y4 who need additional support in reading. Y6 also support school meals in the hall at lunch times by demonstrating correct table manners and encouraging younger children to be polite. Y6 children have been acting as role models for children in KS1 who find it difficult to socialise. We also choose 5 children each term to act as corridor monitors.

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