British Values Statement

At Grindleford Primary School we value the diversity of backgrounds of all pupils, families and wider school community.

The Department for Education states there is a 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”. 

The Department of Education defines British Values as follows:

• Respect for democracy and support or participation in the democratic process
• Respect for the basis on which the law is made and applies in England
• Support for equality of opportunity for all
• Support and respect for the liberties of all within the law
• Respect for and tolerance of different faiths and religious and other beliefs

Our school reflects British values in all that we do.  We aim to nurture our children on their journey through life so they can grow into safe, caring, democratic, responsible and tolerant adults who make a positive difference to British society and to the world.  We encourage our children to be creative, unique, open-minded and independent individuals, respectful of themselves and of others in our school, our local community and the wider world.

At Grindleford Primary School, we activity promote British values in the following ways:

Democracy

• All children are encouraged to debate topics of interest, express their views and make a meaningful contribution to the running of the school on matters that directly involve pupils.  Children also have the opportunity to have their voices heard through pupil questionnaires, pupil surveys, school council and feedback assemblies. 
• The principle of democracy is explored in the curriculum as well as during assemblies and special days. 
• Our school behaviour policy involves rewards which the pupils have discussed and outlines the emphasis to enable the children to try to resolve conflict themselves.
• Grindleford Primary School have had active involvement in the selection process of new staff on a number of occasions.

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 throughout the school.
• Our school follows rules which are decided upon in each class and signed up to.  These are integral to our learning and ethos every day. School council ensure playground rules are fair and respectful.
• Pupils are always held to distinguish between right and wrong in all aspects of their school life and journey.
• Pupils are encouraged to respect the law and Grindleford School enjoys visits from authorities such as the police, fire service, etc. to help reinforce this message.
• The Behaviour and Anti-Bullying policies set out a zero tolerance baseline for any form of aggression, abuse or violence, which extends to pupils, staff and parents and carers.

Individual liberty

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged, and given the freedom to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment e.g. by signing up for extracurricular clubs, choosing the level of challenge in some lessons and becoming increasingly more involved in child led learning.

• Pupils are supported to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence.
• Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their behaviour and our pastoral support reinforces the importance of making the right choices.
• 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.
• Vulnerable pupils are protected and stereotypes challenged.  A strong anti-bullying culture is embedded in the school and any form of bullying is challenged and addressed. 
• Pupils have key roles and responsibilities in school such as House Team Captains, School Captains, Playground Leaders and Transition buddies.

Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

• Respect is one of the core values of our school.  The pupils know and understand that it is expected that respect is shown to everyone, adults and children. 
• Pupils are helped to acquire an understanding of, and respect for, their own and other cultures and ways of life.
• Staff and pupils are encouraged to challenge extreme, prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour.
• Links and visits are promoted with local faith communities and places of worship.
• Through the PSHE and RE curriculums pupils are encouraged to discuss and respect differences between people, such as differences of faith, ethnicity, disability, gender or sexuality and differences of family situations.
• We offer a culturally rich and diverse curriculum in which all major religions are studied and respected and global dimension work embedded in many of our themes such as Maya, traditional within Guatemala.  These curriculum topics offer children the chance to reflect on our core values and British values.

 

Fundamental British Values in the Early Years

The fundamental British values of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs are already implicitly embedded in the 2014 Early Years Foundation Stage.

The following examples demonstrate what the fundamental British values mean in practice within the Early Years at Grindleford Primary School.

 Democracy: making decisions together

• Children are encouraged to know their opinions count, value each other’s views and values and talk about their feelings, for example when they do or do not need help.
• Staff support the decisions that children make and provide activities that involve turn-taking, sharing and collaboration. Children are given opportunities to develop enquiring minds in an atmosphere where questions are valued.

Rule of law: understanding rules matter

• Staff ensure that children understand their own and others’ behaviour and its consequences, and learn to distinguish right from wrong. This is deeply embedded within the Early Years behaviour management policy.
• Where appropriate, staff collaborate with children to create the rules and codes of behaviour, for example, to agree the rules about tidying up and ensure that all children understand rules apply to everyone.

Individual liberty: freedom for all

• A challenging outdoor learning environment has been designed to allow children to take risks, and to manage risks with support of adults. Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and increase their confidence in their own abilities. This in turn helps children to develop a positive sense of themselves.
• Staff encourage a range of experiences that allow children to explore the language of feelings and responsibility, reflect on their differences and understand we are free to have different opinions, for example children discuss likes and dislikes or have opportunity to talk about things of interest to them.

Mutual respect and tolerance: treat others as you want to be treated

• Staff create an ethos of inclusivity and tolerance where views, faiths, cultures and races are valued and children are engaged with the wider community, for example through involvement in community events, projects and visits.
• Children acquire a tolerance and appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures; families, faiths, communities and traditions and share and discuss practices, celebrations and experiences.
• Staff encourage and explain the importance of tolerant behaviours such as acknowledging feelings of others and sharing and respecting opinions.
• Staff promote diverse attitudes and challenge stereotypes, for example, sharing stories that reflect and value the diversity of children’s experiences and providing resources and activities that challenge gender, cultural and racial stereotyping.