British Values Statement
Preparing children for life in modern Britain
The DfE recently reinforced the need to ‘create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.’
At Tudor Primary School we promote these values through our broad and balanced curriculum and through a wide range of extra-curricular or enrichment activities which, we believe, support the development of the ‘whole child’.
Democracy
Pupils at Tudor are encouraged to voice their opinions and contribute their ideas on the life of the school. Our school council, the Tudor Owls, is democratically elected at the start of each year. It is made up of 2 pupils from each class who gather ideas from their peers and shares them with the council. They meet regularly to discuss a variety of school issues, new initiatives and ways to improve the school plus surrounding community. Pupils are encouraged to voice their attitudes to learning in all subjects as part of the termly self-evaluation cycle of the school and by subject leaders focusing on school development. Parents and staff are surveyed annually and the results are used to inform school improvement planning.
All the children learn about government, democracy and current affairs through regular assemblies and through PSHE lessons.
Rule of Law
Through Assemblies and the school’s PSHE curriculum, children develop an understanding of the law, appropriate to their age and stage of development. Through the study of a range of different time periods in history, pupils are encouraged to see how laws and ways of government have changed.
Pupils are taught explicitly that laws keep us safe and children are encouraged to think about their own and others’ safety in and outside school.
Visits from outside agencies such as the fire service, police force and health and social workers reinforce the children’s understanding of the responsibilities held by various professions in upholding the law, helping them and keeping them safe.
Our Positive Behaviour Policy supports children in their learning about right and wrong and the importance of rules or following a code of conduct. The policy is visible in all areas of the school and consistently applied by staff, with opportunities constantly being sought to praise and reward positive choices. Pupils who demonstrate appropriate behaviour for learning are recognised through a variety of rewards and held up as role models for others. When poor choices are made there is always time for children to reflect and discuss strategies they may use to improve their behaviour and to restore relationships.
Individual Liberty
Tudor pupils learn about freedom of speech and expression, through assemblies and PSHE sessions. They learn to value difference and diversity and a wide range of extra-curricular/enrichment activities enables them to try new things and move out of their comfort zones. There is an active dialogue within classrooms about recognising the feelings surrounding taking on new activities and pupils are supported with a range of responses to these.
Pupils are encouraged to become good citizens and supported to become as independent as possible. They are taught that that everyone has rights, including the right to say ‘no’ when appropriate. They also understand that with rights come responsibilities. This is seen in our Core principles and the use of the child-led ‘3 steps’ when solving disputes and upsets.
At Tudor we encourage children to value the individual liberties they enjoy, by participating in charitable events such as Comic Relief, Children in Need and our own harvest donations, all of which help them to appreciate that there are children locally, nationally and internationally who face a wide range of challenges in their lives. This is also reflected within the PSHE, RE and Geography curriculum, looking at the responsibilities of each of us as citizens of the World to use what we have wisely and to think about our impact on the planet.
Mutual Respect
Respect is one of our ‘Core Principles’ and as such is a cornerstone of our Positive Behaviour Policy. Mutual respect is modelled by all adults at Tudor towards each other and the children, providing pupils with strong role models from whom to learn.
We work closely with our parents in order to achieve consistency in the values promoted at school and at home. Every month parents have access to material to support the value for that month via the school website.
Pupils are encouraged to treat others in the way they would wish to be treated when solving disputes. The use of the ‘3 steps’ by pupils allows them to voice how they are feeling with the clear expectation of listening to each other. It provides a structure that even the youngest pupil can follow when trying to resolve potential conflict.
Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs
RE lessons at Tudor teach the children about the six major religions of the world. Representatives of these faith groups are invited in to allow pupils to ask questions and have further opportunities to learn more about those with a different set of beliefs to their own.
Assemblies contribute to the children’s knowledge and understanding of special events in the religious calendar of all the major religions.
Resources in our classrooms and the school library are carefully chosen to ensure they reflect our diverse community and any cultural or racial stereotypes are challenged at any age.
The children are at the centre of everything we do at Tudor Primary School it is our duty to prepare them for successful lives as adults living in Britain. By promoting British values, we enable children to develop a sense of community and to understand their responsibilities and roles within that community.