Cultural Curriculum & British Values

Academic Mentoring Curriculum

This curriculum develops cultural and global awareness through participation in discussion and debate of a vast array of topical and controversial issues that extend beyond their local community. It ensures that our students feel comfortable going into any social situation, and that they have the confidence to actively engage and add value.

• Students participate in weekly ‘Votes for Schools’ lessons during tutorial sessions.

• ‘Votes for Schools’ lessons challenge students to consider current affairs and controversial issues; teaching them how to formulate opinions and express these confidently and appropriately. This programme also teaches students the importance of collecting evidence in order to support a well-informed argument.

• Students develop a strong cultural and global awareness through ‘Votes for Schools’ lessons which cover the following:

• The fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

• Students distinguish right from wrong and learn how to respect the civil and criminal law.

• Students acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England.

• Students demonstrate tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by acquiring an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures.

• Students respect other people, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010.

• Students demonstrate a 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.

• Students preclude the promotion of partisan political views in the teaching of any subject.

• Students demonstrate fair and unprejudiced treatment of others.

• Students recognise the importance of equality and celebrate diversity.

• Students receive weekly assemblies that celebrate diversity and cultural themes.

• Students receive regular Ethics lessons that develop their understanding and appreciation of a variety of faiths and religions in order to celebrate diversity and promote tolerance.

British Values

Unity City Academy is an inclusive community that develops young people into confident, well informed citizens who understand their responsibilities in the community. We embrace the multi-cultural, multi-faith and increasingly diverse nature of the United Kingdom. We play a vital role in ensuring that everyone in the academy feels valued and that no-one is subjected to discrimination, intimidation or radicalisation.

We are dedicated to preparing students for their adult life and promoting British Values to all our students. Our students experience a wide range of opportunities, activities and events that allow them to develop an understanding of British Values and they will also study some aspects of Modern British life in PSHE and Humanities.

We strive to:

• • enable our students to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence;

  • enable our students to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England;

  • encourage our 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 our students to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England;

  • further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling our students to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures;

  • encourage respect for other people;

  • 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.

At Unity City Academy we are proud to be British and to uphold the British Values of mutual respect, tolerance of different faiths and beliefs, democracy, individual freedom and the rule of law, including the Protected Characteristics.