British Values at St Alban’s CE Aided Primary School

‘Inspired to make a difference in God’s world with excellence and love’

We provide a wide variety of opportunities for pupils to develop and demonstrate British values within the school community and beyond, examples of which are detailed below.  The school’s work in this area has been highly effective, with the behaviour and attitudes of pupils demonstrating that these values are embedded well and support the school’s overarching core Christian values of Love, Hope, Thankfulness and Compassion. ‘Children are developing into confident, thoughtful and highly reflective young people who show complete respect for diverse communities. ‘ (SIAMS Inspection report, Feb 2018).  The school’s promotion of Christian and British values has also been effective in developing excellent relationships between all members of the St Alban’s community with pupils very aware of the importance of treating others with respect and loving others (also noted in the SIAMS Inspection).

Democracy

• Throughout our curriculum children are encouraged to debate topics of interest and make decisions about aspects of their learning.  Through these opportunities pupils are taught how to express their own views and how to listen carefully and respectfully to the views of others.   We believe that pupils must develop these skills in order to be able to contribute as active and responsible participants in democratic decision -making. 
• Pupils make a meaningful contribution to the running of the school on matters that directly involve them through the School Council and House Captain systems.  School Councillors from every class are democratically elected after standing for election.  The school council then seek feedback from their peers through surveys and questionnaires to help them plan projects collaboratively as a group.   House Captains also stand for election in Year 6 and lead their houses in projects they have decided on, often relating to charity fund raising.
• Pupils are regularly involved in democratic decision making in their own classes linked to daily class routines (for example, procedures for the management of classroom playground equipment to allow fair access for all pupils, choice of rewards, choosing themes for class worship).  Through opportunities such as these pupils learn to understand that their opnion and ‘vote’ is important and also how to accept and co-operate with a decision that has been agreed by the majority but that they did not particularly support.
• We discuss national and local elections with pupils and use these to highlight and teach children about electoral systems and democratic processes, including visiting the Houses of Parliament. We also give pupils opportunities to meet with and question a variety of people involved in democratic systems and processes (e.g. local MP, Mayor of Havant).

The Rule of Law

• Our PSHE curriculum provides many opportunities for pupils to develop a good understanding of right and wrong through the moral choices and dilemmas presented to them.   They also explore the consequences of choices.
• Through the PE curriculum pupils are taught from very early on the importance of respecting rules to be a ‘good sport’.
• Our behaviour expectations are high and pupils know that there are consequences for not following these.  Staff discuss the consequences of poor choices with pupils, especially in terms of how this impacts on other members of the school community.
• Pupils create their own class code of conduct each year and understand the importance of a shared code to protect the rights of all members of the class and to keep them safe.  Rewards and sanctions reinforce both the positive and negative consequences for keeping or not keeping rules and pupils learn how to take collective responsibility for keeping rules through shared class rewards.
• Pupils in Year 6 attend the ‘Junior Citizen’ event each year, which gives them a good overview of the many services working in society to keep us safe and protect us, including the police.  PCSOs and the Fire Service have also visited the school.
• The RE curriculum allows pupils to explore the role of laws and rules in a religious context.

Individual Liberty

• We promote individual liberty within the context of an individual person’s relationship with other people through our core Christian value of LOVE:  ‘It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows.’ (Galatians 5:13, The Message bible).  
• Through collective worship and the promotion of our Christian values we teach pupils that every individual is unique, special and loved by God and free to have their own beliefs and opinions.  Alongside this, we teach that individual liberties should not compromise the rights of others.

• Pupils are taught how to make independent choices safely, for example through our PSHE and e-safety curriculum.
• Alongside rules and laws, we promote freedom of choice and the right to respectfully express personal views and beliefs, giving pupils regular opportunities within our curriculum and provision to be able to do this.  For example:
  • choosing tasks or learning activities, including how they might record or present their learning and who they might work or play with;
  • choices in the extra-curricular activities children can participate in;
  • being free to share their own thoughts during class discussions and debates and during collective worship, including planning and leading their own worship, choosing themes that matter to them.
• We teach pupils about the beliefs and faiths of other people living in Britain through our RE curriculum and give them opportunities to develop and consider their own beliefs and opinions and make decisions about what is important to them (including within the PSHE curriculum and collective worship).
• All staff actively challenge any behaviour, attitudes or comments that compromise any person’s individual liberty to hold their own beliefs and our behaviour and anti-bullying policy set high standards in this for all members of our school.

Mutual respect for, and tolerance of, those with different faiths

and beliefs and for those without faith

• We teach mutual respect and tolerance through our core value of LOVE and expect all members of our community, both pupils and adults, to ‘treat others as you want to be treated,’ Luke 6, v 31.  Collective worship themes in particular focus on teaching pupils about this.
• Staff and pupils are encouraged to challenge prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour and know and respect our very high behaviour expectations in relation to relationship with others.
• Across all areas of the curriculum we teach teamwork, collaboration and co-operation based on mutual respect for all.
• Our ‘buddy scheme’ teaches pupils how to support each other and respect their views (Year 5 and Year 6 pupils mentoring our Year R and Year 1 pupils).
• Through our PSHE curriculum pupils learn about their own identity, what makes them special and how everyone is different but equal.
• Through the RE curriculum pupils learn about other religions and have opportunities to meet and talk to people with different religious beliefs (e.g. when visiting a Hindu temple) and to put into practice mutual respect and tolerance.
• The St Alban’s ‘Interfaith Conference’ enables pupils to hear from different religious leaders and meet with children from other schools with a range of socio-economic, ethnic and faith backgrounds to discuss and share views in relation to ‘big questions’.