______________________ Promoting British Values
What is meant by “British Values”?
In their new school inspection framework, Ofsted underlines how significant is the dimensions of the personal development of pupils and that our education system must focus on by developing responsible, respectful and active citizens who are able to play their part and become actively involved in public life as adults; as well as by developing and deepening pupils’ understanding of the fundamental British values of democracy, individual liberty, the rule of law and mutual respect and tolerance
Although some people may argue that these values are not uniquely “British” there can be no doubt that they are fundamental to life in Britain and as such they are actively promoted by our school in order to prepare young people for life in modern Britain.
At Riverside Bridge School, we believe that the following list exemplifies some of the values held dear by British citizens:
-
Democracy
-
Respect of the rule of law
-
Appreciation of the rights of other citizens
-
Individual liberty
-
The promotion of opportunities for all
-
Support for those who cannot, by themselves, sustain a dignified life-style
-
Religious tolerance and respect for cultural diversity
-
Treating others with fairness
-
Participation with community life
-
The contribution to, as well as the benefit from, cultural and economic resources
Although this list is not exhaustive, we believe it encapsulates the attitudes and values that Riverside Bridge School seeks to inculcate in its staff and young people.
How do we promote British Values at Riverside Bridge School?
We promote ‘British Values’ through our spiritual, moral, social and cultural education which permeates through the school’s curriculum and supports the development of the ‘whole child’.
We recognise that such development is most successful when those values and attitudes are promoted by all staff by providing a model of behaviour for our pupils.
We will promote British Values through Teaching and Learning across all the Areas of Development of our Growth curriculum to help all pupils understand their importance and how they underpin life in Britain throughout its history, geography, language, literature, sport and games, personal, health and social education and religions.
Our principal aim is to prepare all pupils for their future life in which they will have to live and work alongside people from all backgrounds and cultures, in a world which is becoming a smaller place due to technological advances.
All pupils have numerous opportunities within our Growth Curriculum to develop an understanding of British Values through everyday experiences which may be planned through specific lessons to ensure breadth and depth of learning at an appropriate level but also often arise incidentally.
Communication and Interaction
-
How to engage in interaction
-
How to express opinions / thoughts / feelings
-
How to adapt communication / behaviour to suit any situation
-
How to show evidence of ‘active listening’
-
How to identify interests and strengths
-
How to respond to negative behaviour]
-
How to participate in planning for own future
Engagement and Learning
-
How to understand the consequences of own choices and actions
-
How to recognise own achievements
-
How to make choices and gives reasons/explanation for a choice made
-
How to enjoy learning about themselves and others
-
How to understand the law in relation to drugs, alcohol and smoking
Independence and Community Interaction
-
How to keep safe when out in the community
-
How to know how to get help in the community
-
How to keep safe on-line (e-safety)
-
How to follow rules, routines and expectations
-
How to make successful transition in ‘everyday’ situations
-
How to follow road safety
-
How to use public transport
-
How to solve problems that may occur when travelling
-
How to prepare for adulthood
Personal Development
-
How to engage positively in interaction with peer/s
-
How to take account of others’ interests / needs / feelings within interactions
-
How to take action to sustain positive relationship
-
How to recognise negative or bullying behaviour towards self or others
-
How to understand and conform to expectations of working in a group
-
How to use taught strategies to manage emotions and behaviour
-
How to reflect on behaviour
-
How to recognise and respond to emotions in others
-
How to identify potential or actual risk within situations
-
How to develop their own set of beliefs and values
-
How to appreciate society’s moral values
-
How to contribute to the school and local community social and cultural life
-
How to recognise and accepts differences between people
By teaching the pupils how to have a voice and listen to each other, how to manage and understand their own emotions, how making the right choices may have an effect on their own rights and those of others, how important it is to show respect to everyone and to everything, whatever differences, beliefs, cultures, backgrounds we may have, we believe all pupils will be motivated and equipped to:
-
be effective and successful learners;
-
make and sustain friendships;
-
deal with and resolve conflict evenly and fairly;
-
solve problems with others by themselves;
-
manage strong feelings such as frustration, anger or anxiety;
-
be able to promote calm and optimistic states that promote the achievement of goals;
-
recover from setbacks and persist in the face of difficulties;
-
work and play cooperatively;
-
compete fairly and win or lose with dignity and respect for all competitors;
-
recognise and stand up for their rights and the rights of others;
-
understand the value the differences and commonalities between people, respecting the rights of others to have beliefs and values different to their own;
-
respect and value our world, and the things, both material and alive that exist within it;
-
make a positive contribution to the local and national community.
Being part of Great Britain
As a school, we value and celebrate the diverse heritages of everyone at Riverside Bridge School. Alongside this, we value and celebrate being part of Britain.
In general terms, this means that we celebrate traditions and customs in the course of the year; for example, Guy Fawkes, Remembrance Day in the autumn term, trips to the pantomime at Christmas, Chinese New Year, Pancake Day and Easter Egg Hunts in the spring term and St George’s Day and Mother’s and Father’s Day in the summer term.
We also value and celebrate national focusses, recent examples being Roald Dahl Day, Nursery Rhyme Day, National Smile Day, with many more opportunities planned in throughout the year to collaborate with the wider community and world through charity events where all pupils are made aware of the needs of people both in our own and other countries, supporting them through national fund raising events such as Children in Need, Comic Relief, World Autism Day, etc.
Further to this, pupils learn about being part of Britain from different perspectives – for instance:
-
geographically, pupils learn to identify places in their local communities, locate the four countries and their capitals of the United Kingdom and where Great Britain is in relation to the rest of Europe and other countries in the world;
-
historically, pupils learn about significant events in local or national history and follow stories of significant historical figures of the past.
