St John Southworth RC Primary School
British Values
British values and our very own SJS and Gospel values are at the heart of all we do. Each day, we strive to uphold the core values of the country in which we live;
Democracy through electing and supporting our school council. An obvious example is our School Council. The election of the School Council members reflects our British electoral system and demonstrates democracy in action: candidates make speeches, pupils consider characteristics important for an elected representative, pupils vote in secret using ballot boxes etc. Made up of two representatives from each class, the School Council meets regularly to discuss issues raised by the different classes.
- Other examples of ‘pupil voice’ are: children agree their Class Charter and the rights associated with these; all children contribute to the drawing up of the charter, Pupil Questionnaires which provide the school leadership with analysis of how the children feel about school, Pupils respond to teachers marking throughout the school.
- Our school council works with others locally and has an annual visit to the Town Hall. We meet every other week to try and improve our school!
The rule of law through our simple and easy to understand system of rules. The importance of rules and laws, whether they be those that govern our school or our country, are referred to and reinforced often, such as in assemblies and when reflecting on behaviour choices. At the start of the school year, each class discusses and sets its own Class Charter, a set of principles that are clearly understood by all and seen to be necessary to ensure that every class member is able to learn in a safe and ordered environment.
Pupils 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. These values are reinforced in different ways:
visits from authorities such as the police and fire service during other school subjects, where there is respect and appreciation for different rules – in a sports lesson, for example
Individual liberty Alongside rules and laws, we promote freedom of choice and the right to respectfully express views and beliefs. Through the provision of a safe, supportive environment and empowering education, we provide boundaries for our young pupils to make choices safely; for example:
choices about what learning challenge or activity
choices about how they record their learning
choices around the participation in extra-curricular activities
Our pupils are encourages to know, understand and excercise their rights and personal freedoms and are taught how to excercise these safely, such as in our e-safety and RSE lessons
Mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and belifs and for those without faith through our 'Come and See' religious education programme.
- Our pupils know and understand that it is expected and imperative that respect is shown to everyone, whatever differences we may have, and to everything, whether it is a school resource, a religious belief or whatever. Children learn that their behaviour choices have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community should treat each other with respect.
We are a proud of our multi-cultural school and encourage the children to learn from each other and celebrate our similarities and our differences. To support the children's understanding of British Values we use a resource called 'Picture News' which is designed to provide opportunities for children to learn from our world and develop respect for other’s beliefs, feelings and faiths. They encourage exploration, discussion, challenge and inspire children to learn. Our homework for Key Stage Two is based on this each week and the children enjoy completing the tasks.
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