British Values

To look at some of the British Values displays at Highfield Primary

 

 

Spiritual, Social, Moral and Cultural Policy ( SMSC ) including British Values – Click here

Promoting British Values

The DfE have 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.”

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

 Democracy:

At Highfield we believe it is important that the children feel part of the school community and that their opinions and ideas are valued. We give class representatives  varied roles and responsibilities to help us continue to improve Highfield. Children take on roles in a variety of ways: Mini-Mentors and Playground Buddies are volunteers; Team Captains, Tour Guides and Year 6 School Council fill in application forms and are interviewed by the SLT; Eco-Warriors and School Council members from Years 2-5 are elected by their peers.

Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through fortnightly School Council Meetings. The elected councillors discuss issues and suggest ways to improve the life of the school and contribute to the local and wider community, for example deciding which charities and fundraisers the school should support for the year, building a partnership with local organisations and running the school tuck shop. The School Council’s work with the North London Hospice in Autumn 2014 has been formally recognised by the House of Commons Speaker in the annual School Council Speakers’ Award.

We have regular visits from our local MP, who speaks in assemblies, followed by question and answer sessions with the older children. Our whole school Creative Curriculum ensures that our children deepen their understanding and feel part of the local and wider community, for example through termly topics such as ‘Rulers and Governments’ to coincide with the general election in May and ‘Our World’ in the current 2014-2015 academic year.

 The Rule of Law:

The importance of Laws are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days through our promotion of our Golden Rules, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies. Knowing, understanding and following our Golden Rules is essential for our school to be a safe learning environment.

The Golden Rules apply to all members of the school community.

Our Golden Rules are on display in all classrooms, in corridors and are reinforced by all staff members. We have regular assemblies about the Golden Rules to promote  children’s understanding and social development. 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. Peer mediators work alongside adults to support children in the playground.

We have created our own Children’s  Charter. In 2014 we extended our Charter and looked at the‘United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child’ (with Unicef). The Chair of the School Council and the Headteacher both agree and sign the declaration.

 Individual Liberty:

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment.  Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely and responsibly, for example through our E- Safety and PSHE lessons. Our PSHE curriculum, visits and visitors including partaking in the Year 6 Junior Citizenship programme and workshops on topics such as gangs, bullying, cyber-bullying and domestic violence support our children to stay safe and contribute positively beyond the school environment.

 Mutual Respect:

Our core values of Cooperation, Kindness and Respect and our motto “Together we can achieve more”  underpin our school philosophy. We believe our school vision and values are essential in developing well rounded citizens. Every half term the whole school focuses on an additional word (value) such as friendship, love, appreciation, courage, honesty and so forth. These values are incorporated into whole school assemblies and lessons.

We are a Rights Respecting School, launching each new academic year with ‘Be Proud of Who You Are’ week to ensure our children have a clear understanding of both their rights and responsibilities and revisit these themes throughout the year.

We are an inclusive school and through our Young Interpreters, (pupils who have volunteered to help children who have just arrived at the school with none or little  English) we ensure that children not only feel welcome in our school but understand the values and ethos of the school. This promotes not only the values of our school but also of the country as a whole, as democracy, tolerance and rule of law are central to the schools’ vision

 Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:

Our pupil’s share a growing understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and they have opportunities to experience diversity. We are proud to be a school of many different heritages. Visitors, parents and pupil members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. Our RE curriculum enables our children to learn about different faiths and to share their own. Children visit a different place of worship every year of their time at Highfield.

We believe our school to be at the centre of our local community; our vision and values are embodied in celebrations and events such as international evenings, the school fair, our recent centenary celebrations, our charitable work and participation in various sporting, academic and artistic endeavours.