British Values

The Government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy defining British Values as follows:

• Democracy; 
• The Rule of law; 
• Individual liberty; 
• Mutual respect
• Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith

The DfE have 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.”
 

The DfE have 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.”
 
The Government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values have been reiterated each year.  At Allenby Primary School these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways.

Democracy

At Allenby Primary we work hard to raise awareness of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child across the entire school and working with other local schools supporting them with what it means to be a Rights Respacing school. We are now recognised as a Gold Rights Respecting school.  Each year group has two representative (Rights Officer) who reports back from meetings they attend and also work with children in Reception to gain their views.    

The children’s understanding of their rights has been developed through creating Classroom Charters.  All the children contribute to the drawing up of the charter. We also have charters for our playground and lunch hall.

Children have many opportunities for their voices to be heard. We have a school council which meets regularly to discuss issues raised in school. The council members for each year group are voted in by their class.

Children have opportunity to complete an annual questionnaire with which they are able to put forward their views about the school. We also run a number of consultation groups on all aspects of the curriculum. Our team CRC also run and arrange playtime events. The children have the voice to present ideas to the Rights Officers to make their school a better place. Rights Officers are held to account by their class and voted for each year.  
 

The Rule of Law

The importance of Laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout every day, as well as when dealing with good and negative behaviour. TWe have visits from the Fire Department, Local Police, Transport for London and the Youth Offending Service giving children a real understanding of the importance of Laws.

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.
Individual Liberty

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school, we educate and provide boundaries for pupils to make choices safely, through provision of a safe environment and empowering education.  Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our Online Safety and PSHE lessons. We speak to our children about making a difference and being the change. What we do Matters!

Whether it be through choices made at playtime, what particular interests the children have or deciding the direction of lessons in their home learning, children are able to express their views.  Children can also participate in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices. We make these free to ensure all children have the opportunity to take part. We also have clubs at lunchtime to provide for the children that cannot stay after school. The children also developed a Reading Café for the children that need some time to reflect or relax at playtime.

Mutual Respect

As a Rights Respecting School, respect and dignity are at the heart of our charter. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community treat each other with respect and dignity. We also focus on the difference between empathy and compassion, focusing on the doing!
 
Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs
We also seek to embed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) into our curriculum as widely as possible to help our children learn about the diverse world in which we live.  

Assemblies are regularly planned to address this issue either directly or through the inclusion of stories and celebrations from a variety of faiths and cultures. We spend our Autumn term assemblies focusing on other faiths and their cultures with class assemblies presented on the faiths our children represent. We aim to show our community, not just our children but parents as well, what we as a comminute celebrate and believe. Our RE and PSHE teaching reinforce this.

Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. Children visit places of worship in our local area showing the diversity again of our community.