British Values
At King's Gate Primary School, we are fully committed to promoting British values in line with recent Department for Education (DfE) recommendations and the requirements of the Equalities Act 2010 to keep children safe and prepare them for life in modern Britain. We welcome the DfE’s focus on strengthening the ‘spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) standard’ by actively promoting the ‘fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs, and encourage pupils to respect other people, with particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010’
In October 2014, the Education Secretary Nicky Morgan further reinforced this; "We must not be shy about talking about fundamental British values… and schools should promote values such as ‘mutual respect’ and equality between girls and boys, she said, adding ideals such as democracy and tolerance must be ‘woven’ into the curriculum’.
At King's Gate Primary School these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:
Democracy - Democracy is a fundamental value of our school community and integral to all that we do. For example, pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our school council and pupil questionnaires.
Each year the children decide upon their class rules and the rights associated with these. All the children contribute to the drawing up of the charter.
We have a School Council which meets fortnightly with a member of staff. The School Council discuss issues raised by their class. The council is genuinely able to effect change within the school. They have an identified project to plan, lead, develop and implement each term/year. Every child on the School Council is voted in by their class – the candidates produce manifestos and the class vote democratically for their chosen candidates using ballot papers and voting booths.
Children are regularly surveyed – through the use of a questionnaire. Their views are sought on a variety of things including: Curriculum, e-safety, bullying, behaviour. Their views are then taken into account when making changes.
Topical issues, such as Scottish & EU referendum and General Election are explored where appropriate.
The Rule of Law - The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced at King's Gate Primary School.
Pupils are taught from an early age the rules of the school. These are our Golden Rules. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind rules and laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Pupils are involved in the process of updating this policy. We teach children about making smart choices with their behaviour. Visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service and our SMART Mark behaviour system help reinforce this message.
Individual Responsibility - At King's Gate Primary School, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. (The word Responsibility is displayed alongside our Jobs in each classroom to encourage the understanding of the term).
As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young pupils to make informed choices, through a safe environment and an 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 forest school, e-safety and PSHE lessons. Pupils also have the opportunity to participate in a variety of enrichment and extra-curricular residential visits, trips and clubs.
Mutual Respect - We strongly encourage pupils to respect others – Mutual Respect is at the heart of our values.
We do our utmost to prevent and tackle all forms of bullying and harassment; this includes cyber-bullying and prejudice-based bullying relating to special educational need, sex, race, religion and belief, disability, sexual orientation or gender reassignment. We are committed to giving our pupils the opportunities to flourish as rounded individuals in a learning environment which is open and respectful of differing viewpoints. Our curriculum provides young people with a context for understanding themselves and the world in which they live, in order to prepare them for their future as responsible citizens within our society. We endeavour to develop the self-esteem and self-discipline of our pupils, and develop their talents so that they realise their potential to the full. 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.
Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs - King's Gate Primary is an inclusive community, we actively promote diversity through our celebrations of different faiths and cultures.
Religious Education lessons and PSHE lessons reinforce messages of tolerance and respect for others and aspects of the curriculum are linked to raising pupils’ awareness and respect for, the faith and traditions of other communities – both on a local and global scale. Pupils are encouraged to think and decide for themselves, and be tolerant of the views of others. Members of different faiths and religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. The children visit places of worship that are important to different faiths. In our English curriculum every year group has a cultural author/text specified that must be studied to ensure immersion in cultural literature.
