British Values

At Braeburn Primary and Nursery Academy we uphold and teach pupils about British Values which are defined as:

• democracy
• rule of law
• individual liberty
• mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

These values are taught through Personal, Social, Health and Emotional (PSHE) lessons supported by the Jigsaw programme, and Religious Education (RE). We also teach the British Values through planning and delivering a broad and balanced curriculum.

The school takes opportunities to actively promote British Values through our assemblies and whole school systems and structures such as electing and running successful Leadership Programmes including School Council, Sports Leaders, Eco Warriors, Restorative Practice Experts and Digital Leaders. We also actively promote British values through ensuring that our curriculum planning and delivery includes real opportunities for exploring these values. Actively promoting British Values also means challenging extremist’ views and promoting tolerance and diversity.

At Braeburn Primary and Nursery Academy these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy:

In order to reflect the democratic values of our society, we encourage children to value each other’s opinions and this is accomplished through our School Council, restorative circles and pupil surveys.

The elections of members of the School Council are based on pupil votes whilst class charters, rules and precepts are constructed collectively.

The Rule of Law:

The importance of laws and rules, whether they are those that govern the class, the school or the country, are consistently reinforced. The school has an agreed set of virtues – Respect, Resilience and Self Belief. Each class has a Behaviour Chart where children have the opportunity to move up or down a behaviour scale.

Children are taught that community cohesion and personal responsibility are secured through rules and laws in our society, that they are concerned with our safety and that there are consequences when they are broken. Visits from services such as fire and police take place periodically through the year and Year 6 children receive further reinforcement through Crucial Crew where they meet similar services.

Individual Liberty:

Pupils are actively encouraged to make choices at our school, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we provide boundaries for our children to make choices safely.

Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our e-Safety teaching and PSHE lessons. Pupils are given the freedom to make choices, e.g. signing up for extra-curricular clubs, choose the level of challenge in some lessons and seeking out support where necessary eg. The Rainbow Room.

Mutual Respect:

Part of our school ethos and behaviour policy are based around our core values such as ‘respect’ and these values determine how we live as a community at Braeburn Primary and Nursery Academy. Assemblies promote personal qualities and values for life and are central to how we expect everyone to conduct themselves at our school. Adults in school model the respect which we would expect.

Tolerance of Those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:

This is achieved through enhancing pupils’ understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity in our school community. Assemblies and discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in RE and PSHE.

We celebrate the origin and cultures of all of our children and are keen to learn from them. Likewise we use opportunities in the curriculum to explore culture, religion and beliefs across the world. Major world events are embraced as a learning opportunity through thematic weeks and assemblies.

Through the provision of SCSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural), we:

• • • enable children to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence;
    • enable students to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England;
    • encourage children to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and to understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality of the school and to society more widely;
    • enable children to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England;
    • further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling children to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures;
    • encourage respect for other people;
    • encourage respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic processes, including respect for the basis on which the law is made and applied in England.

The list below describes the understanding and knowledge expected of our pupils as a result of promoting fundamental British values:

• • • an understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process;
    • an appreciation that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and is essential for their wellbeing and safety;
    • an understanding that the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law;
    • an acceptance that other people having different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour; and
    • an understanding of the importance of identifying and combatting discrimination.
•  British Values – Jigsaw