British Values
Protected Characteristics
Our pupils are taught about Protected Characteristics and why they are imporant.We explore the Equality Act and how it protects people against discrimination because of the protected characteristics that we all have. Under the Equality Act, there are nine Protected Characteristics:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender reassignment
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Marriage or civil partnership
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
- Pregnancy and maternity
Promoting British Values
For many years, there has been a duty for schools to promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of their pupils. More recently, the Department for Education has reinforced the requirement for schools to promote ‘fundamental British values’ through SMSC development:
‘It is expected that pupils should understand that while different people may hold different views about what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, all people living in England are subject to its law. The school’s ethos and teaching, which schools should make parents aware of, should support the rule of English civil and criminal law and schools should not teach anything that undermines it. If schools teach about religious law, particular care should be taken to explore the relationship between state and religious law. Pupils should be made aware of the difference between the law of the land and religious law.’
Fundamental British values are defined as follows:
- Democracy
- Rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect
- Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
Democracy
We have a Pupil Parliment. The members of Parliament are selected through a school election. The children all take part in voting and making the decision of which children would be best to support the School Leadership Team in running and developing the school.
Children have an annual questionnaire where they are able to put forward their views about the school.
The Rule of Law
The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced at Fleetville through assemblies and through the curriculum.
Pupils are taught the rules of the school, particularly the value and reasons behind rules and laws - that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities, such as the Police, help reinforce this message.
Individual Liberty
Pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, within the security of a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for pupils to make informed choices. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and through our e-Safety and PSHE lessons, advised how to exercise these safely.
Mutual Respect
Mutual respect is at the heart of our values. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community are taught and encouraged to treat each other with respect.
Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs
The Fleetville community is culturally very diverse. There are 24 different languages spoken in our school and we actively promote diversity through our celebrations of different faiths and cultures.
Religious Education lessons, PSHE lessons and Philosophy for Children discussions, reinforce messages of tolerance and respect for others.
Members of different faiths and religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school and the children visit places of worship, both within our community and further afield, that are important to different faiths.
Modelling the British Values
During a House Assembly a key figure was chosen for each house. These figures were not only chosen because they represent of our key values, but also because they promote the British Values. They represent a cross section of people from different backgrounds, who have different faiths and people who have contrasting beliefs; showing our pupils that we celebrate and promote Individual Liberty.
Respecting Each Other
We are lucky that our school community is made up of families from different cultures and countries. It is important to us that our pupils understand to celebrate our difference and learn about each others cultures with respect.