British Values
The Department for Education published guidance in 2014 on promoting British values in schools to ensure young people leave school prepared for life in modern Britain. The values were first set out by the government in the ‘Prevent’ strategy in 2011.
All schools have a duty to ‘actively promote’ the fundamental British values of: Democracy, The rule of law, Individual liberty, Mutual respect and Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
At Portfield, we enable our pupils to encounter these values in their everyday life at our school. They are closely linked to our school values and are therefore embedded into everything that we do as a school. For examples of how we live by the British Values, please see below:
Democracy
To promote democracy, all children are members of the ‘Smart School Council’. Regular meetings, discussions and votes take place on school and local issues. Issues raised are actioned through ‘action teams’ supported by a member of staff e.g. ‘Fruity Fridays’ (left over fruit from KS1 is given away to KS2 pupils)
The Rule of Law
Taught though an essential question in upper Key Stage 2 ‘Do we need someone in charge? Children visit the Houses of Parliament, local government offices and local magistrates present information and a mock trial.
Individual Liberty
All pupils are actively encouraged to make independent choices, with the knowledge that they are in a safe, secure and supportive environment.
Mutual Respect
Our new behaviour policy hinges upon the ‘5 Ways to Respect’ – 1) Speak Respectfully, 2) Behave Respectfully, 3) Respect the environment, 4) Respect your own learning, 5) Respect the learning of others.
Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
Our curriculum and school ethos encourages all children to learn about, celebrate and respect differences in our school and community.