British Values

Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common... Celebrate it everyday.

- Winston Churchill

The Department of Education states that there is a need:

“To create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental 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 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 mission statement is “...to develop happy, confident and caring young citizens who are well prepared for the future as life long learners.”

Central to that mission statement is that as a school family we develop relationships of respect and trust so that our pupils:

• Are encouraged to respect different people’s beliefs and cultures
• Are enriched by experiences from the wider community
• Create a caring and safe environment for all

Being Part of Britain

As a school, we value and celebrate the diverse heritage of everybody at Manor Primary. Alongside this we value and celebrate being part of Britain. In general terms, this means that we celebrate traditions, spiritual events and customs in the course of the year for example;

We promote British values in Manor Primary in the following ways.

Democracy

Children, parents and staff have many opportunities for their voices to be heard at Manor Primary. Democracy is central to how we operate. A prominent example is our School Council. The election of the School Council members reflects our British electoral system and demonstrates democracy in action: candidates make speeches, pupils consider characteristics important for an elected representative and pupils vote in a secret ballot. Made up of two representatives from each class, the School Council meets regularly to discuss issues raised by the different classes. The council is able to genuinely effect change within the school and recently have, in the past, decided upon rewards for attendance, equipment for the playgrounds, shaped the curriculum and influenced decisions made by the SLT and wider governing body.

Other examples of ‘pupil voice’ are:

• children complete an annual pupil questionnaire on all aspects of school life that results in a school action plan to meet identified needs
• children in assemblies will evaluate what has gone well and what needs improving in whole school events such as inter-faith week, anti-bulling week and children's mental health week among others.
• the school carries out ‘mock elections’ when there are local or general elections – children are able to vote for their political party of their choice once they have been told the basic party policies. (Teachers take on the politician roles)
• children vote weekly if they achieve the attendance award for the week

Pupils are always listened to by adults and are taught to listen carefully and with concern towards each other, respecting the right of every individual to have their opinions and voices heard. We encourage pupils to take ownership of not only their school but also of their own learning. This encourages independence as well as personal and social responsibility and is demonstrated on a daily basis by our pupils. Our annual parents’ questionnaire also reflects our school’s ethos of communication as does our yearly RSE parental engagement.  

Rule of Law

The importance of rules and laws, whether they be those that govern our school or our country, are referred to and reinforced often, such as in assemblies and when reflecting on behaviour choices. At the start of the school year, each class discusses and sets its own class rules to ensure that every class member is able to learn in a safe and ordered environment.

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. These values are reinforced in different ways:

• during our PSHE Jigsaw and 'Thoughtful Time' lessons
• internet safety lessons
• during Religious Education, when rules for particular faiths are thought about
• during other school subjects, where there is respect and appreciation for different rules e.g. in PE and sports lessons.

Individual Liberty and Equality of Opportunity for all

Alongside rules and laws, we promote freedom of choice and the right to respectfully express views and beliefs. Through the provision of a safe, supportive environment and empowering education, we provide boundaries for our young pupils to make choices safely; for example:

• choices about what learning challenge or level of activity children will attempt to stretch their learning
• choices around the participation in extra-curricular activities at lunchtime or after school

Our pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are taught how to exercise these safely, such as in our e-safety and Thoughtful Thursday sessions. 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 e.g. Head Girl/Boy, Class Prefects, Wellbeing Ambassadors, School Councillors, Play Leaders, Milk Monitors, Line Leaders ... to name just a few!

Mutual Respect and Tolerance of Those with Different Faiths and Beliefs

Our children are instilled with the belief that respect is shown to everyone, whatever their differences. Children learn that their behaviour choices have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community are expected to treat each other with respect.

Specific examples of how we at Manor Primary enhance pupils’ understanding and respect for different faiths and beliefs are:

• Through Religious Education, PSHE/RSE and other lessons where we might develop awareness and appreciation of other cultures. Children 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 aim to ensure that our curriculum is relevant to our children and involve children in planning their learning and ensure that a wide and culturally diverse and relevant curriculum is enjoyed by our children.

Extremism

Manor Primary School, and all schools, have a relatively new statutory duty to pay “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism” known as the prevent duty. Staff have been provided with this information and below is a guide also available to parents. Read the government’s Prevent duty guidance and its guidance for schools.

See our British Values chant by following the link below.

Video Resource entre

How British Values is Explicitly Provisioned for in our PSED / PSHE / RSE Curriculum

British Values are promoted through the use of the Jigsaw Learning Charter which is shared at the beginning of every Jigsaw PSHE lesson. The Learning Charter is child-centred and aims to encourage children to work together and follow a set of ‘ground rules’ to create a safe, positive learning environment. The behaviours of the Jigsaw Charter are reflected in the whole-school Learning Charter developed in the first puzzle of the year (Being Me in My World), and will consequently permeate the school community, supporting children as they grow and learn. The Learning Charter supports the work that is going to happen in each Jigsaw lesson.

Democracy is evident across all puzzles within the Jigsaw PSHE 3-11 programme. Children have lots of opportunities for their voices to be heard through whole class, group or paired discussions. The Jigsaw Learning Charter aims to ensure that all lessons establish a safe learning environment. The ‘ground rules’ of the Learning Charter invite children to sign and agree to try and stick to the rules during all Jigsaw lessons. It encourages children (and adults alike) to listen carefully to one another, and respect the right of others whilst having opportunities to have their own opinions and voices heard. Jigsaw encourages children to take ownership of their learning through their ‘Help Me Reflect’ time when recording their thoughts, feelings and ideas in their individual Jigsaw Journals. Many of the Jigsaw PSHE lessons include ‘Pause for Thought’ moments, whereby children can reflect in the moment; considering their thoughts and feelings. Opportunities are given to all of the children to share their thinking, thoughts and ideas with others if they feel comfortable doing so. 

The Rule of Law is evident in every Jigsaw lesson when beginning the session with the Jigsaw Learning Charter. Establishing a safe, comfortable environment for all children (and adults) to learn in is paramount to every lesson. Children are also taught about their rights as a child, including those from The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). These are included in all puzzle pieces. At Jigsaw, we believe it is important for children to understand equality and their rights, to understand how both they should be treated, and how they should treat others. A separate mapping document has been created to evidence where these are taught in the Jigsaw 3-11 PSHE programme. Children are taught the value, importance and reasoning behind why rules exist. There are lots of opportunities throughout all age groups to explore making positive choices as well as how this balances with consequences. Making positive behavioural choices is explored through class, partner and group discussions. Opportunities for children to explore their thoughts during ‘Pause for Thought’ moments invite children to consider how they feel in the present moment, impacting choices and individual thinking.

Individual Liberty

Jigsaw provides a structured programme of personal development to nurture the ‘whole child’ and increase learning capacity, underpinned by mindfulness philosophy and practice. Jigsaw PSHE begins this teaching right from the beginning in the Early Years Foundation Stage and offers opportunities for children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development. At Jigsaw, we believe these opportunities are vital for children’s development, understanding of themselves and others, and increasing their capacity to learn. Children are provided with opportunities to make informed choices and feel comfortable expressing their views. The ethos of a Jigsaw lesson aims to always make every child feel welcomed, valued and comfortable and therefore promotes a positive learning environment.

Mutual Respect

One of the key aspects of Jigsaw is how we enable and teach children to have respectful discussions on sensitive subjects. Jigsaw aims to provide a structured lesson format in which a safe learning environment is created. Each lesson plan includes phrasing, suggested use of language and terminology as well as suggestions for asking openended questions sensitively and reflectively. Jigsaw lesson plans provide these prompts through ‘ask me this’ questions. These are designed to support adults leading the session to feel confident in connecting with children to think about how they feel or what their opinions/ideas may be. Often this includes topics which involve thought-provoking and sensitive subjects. As children get older they build on previous knowledge and skills to develop their ability to listen to others respectfully, debate other people’s views and consider ways that we can be accepting of those who may be different to ourselves. Even in lessons where different points of view are encouraged, and issues may be debated, the Learning Charter is always revisited and its expectations reinforced. This ensures that children feel enabled to freely express their faith, feelings and values in an environment of mutual respect.

Tolerance of Those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

The Celebrating Difference puzzle specifically looks at how we might differ in many ways, but that there are human and spiritual elements in us all where we can find a connection and empathy with each other, no matter how much the world might find difference a cause for conflict. Jigsaw aims to go beyond ‘tolerance’ to help children ‘celebrate difference’, their own individuality and that of others. The children learn to be interested in what makes us all unique from as young as 3 years old and this includes the way we embody our beliefs feelings and values. For children 7 years and over, elements of the Equality Act are examined within this puzzle which again ensures that the faiths, feelings and values of others are respected. Schools with Jigsaw embedded into their everyday life will also invoke the Jigsaw Learning Charter in other lessons, for example, in Religious Education. This ensures that children understand that the respect we discuss in Jigsaw PSHE permeates into other areas of school life and supports schools in ensuring that all differences in faith and beliefs are celebrated and respected.

For more information of how British Values present across the whole curriculum you can visit the school office and request to speak to Mr Croft who will be happy to walk you through our curriculum guides and progression documents for more detailed understanding.