British Values

Promoting British Values at St Catherine’s RC Primary School

The DfE have recently reinforced the need “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.”

At St Catherine’s, these values are reinforced regularly through our core values of love, faith, respect, perseverance, compassion and to inspire others.

Democracy

• We value the contribution all of our children make and provide them with a variety of opportunities to show how they can influence decision making which allows their voices to be heard: school council, eco team, chaplaincy team, pupil voice surveys,

• Members of our school council, eco team and chaplaincy team go through a democratic process whereby they apply for the position and have to think about the contribution they will make to our school community.

• This is extended to our parents who are also encouraged to participate in decision making within our school through parent forum meetings, parent surveys, parent workshops etc

• Our staff are excellent role models who develop strong, respectful relationships with one another, the children and parents. We encourage an open door policy to discuss any concerns and work together to resolve them.

• We provide opportunities for our children to see how democracy works within the wider community through invitations to our local MP and by following local and national elections. This is also an opportunity for our older children to debate issues raised at local and national levels and to hold their own mock elections.

Rule of Law

• We discuss with our children the need for rules and boundaries. Laws provide us with protection, they help us to take responsibility for our actions and realise that there are consequences.

• We ensure our core values are at the heart of what we teach. Respecting one another and the world around us.

• Our behaviour system is clear and fair and is run consistently across school thus providing continuity and consistency for our children.

• We promote respect for those who enforce the law and encourage a strong link with our local PCSO

Individual Liberty

• We encourage our children to take responsibility for their own actions but to also expect to be treated with respect from others.

• We do not tolerate bullying of any kind and this is dealt with quickly.

• We provide a safe and supportive environment where our children are encouraged to be independent in their learning.

• We provide guidance on how to make safe choices through eg: E-safety week, whole school worships, road safety, cycling proficiency, swimming tuition, our SMSC Curriculum and our Religious Education

Mutual Respect

• Respect is one of our core values and is known and understood by all our children.

• All our children are encouraged to demonstrate respect for everyone they meet and to respect the environment in which we live.

• Children learn that how we treat one another has a direct impact on the way we in turn are treated.

• If children are not showing respect for one another we encourage others to speak out and help others to see why their actions are inappropriate.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

• As a Catholic community, children are reminded of their place in a culturally diverse society. This is achieved through our Religious Education Curriculum and the spiritual life of our school.

• We actively celebrate diversity and equality. We have strong links with two schools in Nigran, Spain. The children in Year 5 take part in a cultural exchange visiting families in Nigran and then the children from Negran come to visit us and share in a magnificent cultural experience. This becomes a whole school celebration and is something St Catherine’s is very proud of. We also participate in European Day events, other Faiths week and a multicultural event hosted by our PTA

• We actively promote respect for individual differences.

• Our class and whole school worships promote the diversity of society and the rights of each person to be respected and valued equally regardless of ability, gender, faith, heritage or race.

• Through our behaviour policy we challenge prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour of any kind.

• Twice a year we have other faiths weeks where each year group learns about another faith and their beliefs. This allows the children to compare and contrast cultures and beliefs and promotes tolerance and respect for others.