Preparing Children for Life in Modern Britain

At Henley in Arden CofE Primary School we take very seriously our responsibility to prepare children for life in modern Britain. We ensure that the fundamental British Values are introduced, discussed and lived out through the ethos and work of the school. All curriculum areas provide a vehicle for furthering understanding of these concepts and, in particular, our RE, PSHE, Lyfta lessons and Collective Worships provide opportunities to deepen and develop understanding. Children embrace these concepts with enthusiasm and demonstrate a good understanding of their application to their own lives.

British Values Statement 

At Henley in Arden CofE Primary School we value the diversity of backgrounds of all pupils, families and wider school community. 

 The Department for Education states that 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 for 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 Henley in Arden CofE Primary School we actively promote British values in the following ways:

Democracy

Democracy is an integral part of life at Henley in Arden CofE Primary School. We value the voice of the child and promote democratic processes through our School Council. Every child has an opportunity to stand as a candidate, vote and elect the best candidate to represent them on our School Council. Our School Council plays an active part in the life of the school and have regular opportunities to explore and discuss policies, issues and events that have a genuine involvement and impact on school decisions. Children also have the opportunity to have their voices heard through pupil questionnaires and pupil surveys. The principle of democracy is explored in the curriculum as well as during assemblies and special days.

All children are encouraged to debate topics of interest, express their views and make a meaningful contribution to their World. Through our House teams for sport the children have the opportunity to vote for and elect their House captains. At a class level the children’s contributions are sought when establishing rules and sanctions, encouraging greater responsibility and ownership of their behaviour and learning.

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.  As a school, we follow Behaviour for Learning and the traffic Light system which provides a framework to ensure that we all feel happy and safe in school. Pupils are always helped to distinguish right from wrong, in the classroom, during assemblies and on the playground. In addition, the children discuss and agree their own classroom rules; this ensures that they are relevant and clearly understood by all. Our pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, the responsibility they have to up hold them and that there are consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service help to reinforce the importance of Law.

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

At Henley in Arden CofE Primary School, children are actively encouraged to make choices and take risks knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their behaviour and our pastoral support reinforces the importance of making the right choices. The children are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through online safety and PSHCE work. 

Children are strongly encouraged to develop independence in learning and to think for themselves. Our teaching and learning philosophy places emphasis on the right to have our own thoughts and opinions. Pupils are supported to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence. Whether it be through choice of challenge, direction of learning, how they record their work and participation in a variety of activities and clubs, children are given the freedom to make choices. We also have a homework system where children are given a choice in what and how they present their learning around a theme.

Children take on responsibilities such as Head boy and girl, house captains, School Council, Play Leaders, ambassadors, buddies etc. We encourage participation in charitable events e.g. Macmillan Coffee Morning, Sport Relief, NSPCC, Comic Relief, etc where children take responsibility to help others through fund raising activities.

Mutual Respect

Relationships at Henley in Arden CofE Primary School are built on an expectation of mutual respect which is embedded in learning and behaviour. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. 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. A key element of the RE syllabus taught throughout KS1 and 2 is the encouraging of mutual respect and the discussion and acknowledgement of a variety of beliefs and opinions. Pupils are provided with a safe environment in which to explore and express their own views.

We offer a culturally rich and diverse curriculum in which many cultures are studied and respected and global dimension work embedded in our whole school themes.  These curriculum topics offer children the chance to reflect on our core values and British values.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

As a Church of England school, Christian values are the corner stone of the children’s day to day learning. Our Collective Worship is Christian based and our teaching is based on Christian values. Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs is achieved through enhancing pupils’ understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity.

Through our teaching of RE pupils have the opportunity to explore and experience a range of other faiths and traditions. During their time at Henley in Arden CofE Primary School, pupils explore issues such as the differences and similarities between religious identities and a range of moral and ethical issues.