British Values

Promoting British Values at our school

Burton Leonard Church of England (VC) Primary School is committed to serving its community. We recognise the multi-cultural, multi faith and ever-changing nature of the United Kingdom and our curriculum is designed to develop understanding of this world..

British values - democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs - are consistently promoted and interwoven with our Christian values and school ethos and vision.

Democracy

Pupils elect School Council, who meets throughout the year to discuss issues raised in school and is able to genuinely effect change in school.  The School Lead our whole-school Make a Difference campaign, leading events that make a difference in school, the local, national and global communities.

Pupils confidently debate in class. Pupils voice is gathered regularly by school leaders and governors.  Voting is seen as a fair way to solve situations.

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout the day, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school worship. 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.  Our PSHE curriculum plans for visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service help reinforce messages.

Individual Liberty

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young pupils to make choices safely, through provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety, PSHE and RHE lessons. Whether it be through choice of learning challenges, how pupils record their learning, or their  participation in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and enrichment opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices. We value controlled risk, pupils making their own decisions.

Mutual Respect

Respect is at the heart of our values and positive behaviour and relationships policy and procedures. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community treat each other with respect.  Children in our school respect difference. They show respect for the views and ideas of others.

Our school is situated in an area which is not greatly culturally diverse, therefore we place a great emphasis on promoting diversity throughout our curriculum. Worship themes are planned carefully to address this either directly or through the inclusion of stories and celebrations from a variety of faiths and cultures. Our RE, PSHE and RHE learning reinforces this. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. Children visit places of worship that are important to different faiths.

Pupil Voice

We have a well-developed school culture where all our children have a voice and have the opportunity to play an active role in decisions that affect their learning and well-being. Pupils are interviewed by our governors to seek their views to make school even better.  Curriculum subject leaders ask pupils their views to improve their subjects. We have an elected School Council, Children’s Collective Worship Committee, Reading Ambassadors, Digital Leaders, Wellbeing Ambassadors and Sports Crew.

Making a Difference

Each term pupils hold a 'Make a Difference' day.  Each Make a Difference day is led by the school council.  The goal of the day is to make a difference in the school, local, national and global community. 

Examples of how we have made a difference:

School

- improving school grounds 

- improving sustainability 

Locally 

- litter-picking 

- delivering plants and poems to local residents

Nationally

- fundraising and raising awareness for national charities (Dementia Forward, Water Aid)

Globally 

- writing letters to the President of Brazil  

How Christian and British Values are interwoven

In the 2011 Prevent Strategy the government set out its definition of British values and its desire “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

Here at Burton Leonard Church of England (VC) Primary School we believe that British values are Christian values and vice versa. These values underpin all that we do at school with pupils and are an integral part of our school day.

Christian Values and British values can be summed up in the bible quote “Love one another as I have loved you” John 15 V 12. Living out Christian and British values means that showing love and respect for one another should be a core part of everything we do.

The specific Christian values we have chosen are: Courage, Love and Service. They go hand-in-hand with British values and can be linked to biblical quotes and passages.

Democracy	Courage/Love/Service
Exodus 18 V 21	“Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens”.
The Rule of Law	Courage/Love/Service
Romans 13 V 1	“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established”
Exodus 20 V 1‐20	Moses and the 10 commandments
Individual Liberty	Peace / Love
John 8 V 32	“and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free”.
John 15 V 12	“Love one another as I have loved you”
Luke 11 V 9	“seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”.
Tolerance and Respect	Courage/Love/Service
Mark 12 V3	The second commandment is this “Love your neighbour as yourself”.
Luke 10 V 29‐37	The Good Samaritan helps his enemy.
Matthew 7 V 1	“Do not judge others and you will not be judged”.
Luke 6 V31	“Do to others as you would have them do to you”.