British values

 At Shade School our aims are to:

• enable students to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence;
• enable students to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England;
• encourage students to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and to understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality of the school and to society more widely;
• enable students to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in this country;
• further the tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling students to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures;
• encourage respect for other people; and
• encourage respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic processes, including respect for the basis on which the law is made and applied in England.

(Adapted from Promoting fundamental British values as part of SMSC in schools)

At Shade School these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy and the Rule of Law

Each year the children decide upon their class pledge and the rights and responsibilities associated with these. All the children contribute to the drawing up of pledges.

We have a democratically elected School Council which meets regularly to discuss and respond to issues raised from classes, and to help the School in some decision making discussions and choices.

Children complete an annual questionnaire in which they are able to put forward their views about the school. These are then collated by Year 6 pupils and findings forwarded to the School Council.

At each meeting of the School Council, observers are invited from each year group so that they can see democracy in action, and to inspire them to want to become School Councillors themselves.

At Shade 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 young pupils to make informed choices, through a safe environment and an empowering enquiry based curriculum. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and learn how to exercise these safely, for example through our e-safety and PSHE lessons. The School has registered with UNICEF as a ‘Rights Respecting School’ and will be working through their Awards Programme to ensure that the Rights of the Child are at the forefront of our provision.

Mutual respect and Individual liberty

Mutual respect is at the heart of our values. Children learn that their behaviour impacts on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community treat each other with respect to create a harmonious environment in which to learn and develop. Children are taught to understand that with liberty comes responsibility.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

At Shade School we actively promote diversity through our celebrations of different faiths and cultures, for example through our class assemblies. Our RE and PSHE lessons reinforce messages of tolerance, acceptance and respect for others. Members of faith communities are encouraged to share their knowledge and experiences to enhance and support learning within classes and the school. The children visit places of worship that are important to different faiths.

The DfE has 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.”

The Government set out its definition of British Values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values have been reiterated again recently.