Teaching British Values

At St. Mary's these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy

To understand how they can influence decision making through a democratic process.

We empower our pupils by giving them opportunities to make choices about the things that they believe to be important. By valuing each ‘voice’ and by listening and responding to that voice we demonstrate that we support democracy and liberty

Pupils also have the opportunity to have their voices heard as Pupil Governors, Eco Warriors, through our Year 6 Pupil Leadership Team and pupil questionnaires.  The elections of Pupil Governors, Eco Warriors and the Year 6 Pupil Leadership Team are based solely on pupil votes.

The Pupil Governors and Eco Warriors are led by members of staff and they adhere to democratic processes, reporting their actions to the Senior Leadership Team and the Governing Body.

The principle of democracy is also explored in the History and RE curriculum as well as in collective worship. We explore how democracy and the law works in Britain in contrast to other forms of government in other countries.

Individual Liberty

To understand that the freedom to choose is protected in law.

Pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment.

Pupils have key roles and responsibilities in school e.g. Year 6 Prefects, class roles etc.

We educate and provide boundaries for pupils to make choices safely, through provision of a safe environment and an empowering education.

Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advise how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons.

Whether it is through choice of challenge, of how they record their learning, who they play with, of participation in extra-curricular clubs and opportunities etc., pupils are given the freedom to make choices.

Mutual Respect

To understand that while people may hold different views, we may show respect towards them.

Our school ethos and behaviour policy revolves around our Christian core values, one of which is ‘Belonging’ and encourages respect for all. Pupils are part of discussions and collective worship related to what respect means and how it is shown. These ideas are reiterated through our school and classroom rules.

Our PSHE curriculum embodies values of Mutual Respect through units of learning such as Relationships and Celebrating Difference.  Through sports coaching, we promote an attitude of equality and fairness.

On a general level, through our everyday experiences we uphold traditional values of empathy, respect and tolerance, which are also explicitly taught within PSHE, Citizenship and RE lessons.

The Rule of Law

To appreciate that living under the rule of law protects us and is essential for our wellbeing and safety.

The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days; when dealing with behaviour and through school collective worship.

Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws; that they govern and protect us; the responsibilities that they hold and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the Fire Service etc. are regular parts of our calendar and help reinforce this message.

We have a clearly structured behaviour policy which all stakeholders understand and follow.

The concept of the Rule of Law is also reinforced through teaching activities in our citizenship curriculum.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

To accept that others have different faiths or beliefs (or none) and these should be accepted and tolerated.

This is achieved through enhancing pupils understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity.  We are proud that our school is a diverse community and we value opportunities to celebrate this as often as we can.

We follow the Southend agreed syllabus for RE which provides a broad and balanced education on a range of faiths, religions and cultures.  Our broad curriculum and worship provide a wealth of opportunities for discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying, visits to places of worship, visitors and the modelling of a tolerant and accepting attitude to all faiths. The diversity of faith backgrounds of our children is acknowledged and different festivals are learnt about and celebrated.