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St Edward'sCatholic Primary & Nursery School
We carry the light of Christ as we love, live, learn and look after each other
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British Values
We help children to remember the British Values through the thumb and finger model
Thumb – Democracy – up or down to give opinion.
Index finger – Rule of Law - pointing
Middle finger – Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs – tallest finger pointing to God.
Ring Finger – Mutual respect – wedding ring – respect for other people
Little finger – Individual Liberty – sticks out on its own.
At St Edward's Catholic Primary and Nursery School, we develop and promote British Values throughout our school and within our curriculum.
“We want every school to promote the basic British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs.” Lord Nash
A key part of our plan for education is to ensure children become valuable and fully rounded members of society who treat others with respect and leave school fully prepared for life in modern Britain.
British Values
The Rule of Law
Democracy
Individual Liberty
Mutual Respect
Tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs
To do this our children will develop;
An understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process
An understanding that the freedom to hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law
An acceptance that people having different faiths and beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of discriminatory behaviour
An understanding of the importance or identifying and combating discrimination
The mission statement and aims of the school clearly reflect these values, and the whole school strives to uphold them.
Our school is committed to providing a safe, secure and stimulating environment. We value and promote shared personal achievement, high standards and respect for the individual. We believe that by working together we build understanding of one another and develop the self-esteem of every individual.
Our School Aims
Our aims stand upon three fundamental principles;
To provide every child with the life skills to become successful learners who reach their full potential.
To provide a safe, supportive, stimulating and inclusive environment where every child is recognised, cared for, encouraged and valued.
St Edward's will actively ensure the involvement of the whole community, particularly families, who have a vital role in supporting their children’s education. This partnership will encourage healthy and positive attitudes motivating children to become life-long learners.
As a school, we value and celebrate the diverse heritages of everybody at St Edward's. Alongside this, we value and celebrate being part of Britain. In general terms, this means that we celebrate traditions and customs in the course of the year; for example, Harvest Festival during the Autumn term and trips to the pantomime at Christmas. We also value and celebrate national focuses, recent examples being; World Book Day, Chinese New Year and Safer Internet Day, with many more opportunities planned in throughout the year to collaborate with the wider community and world.
Further to this, children learn about being part of Britain from different perspectives. Two specific examples of when we teach about being part of Britain are:
Geographically: Our rivers, coasts and seaside holiday topics ensure that children have a better understanding of what Britain is, learning more about:
•Coasts, rivers and mountains
•Where Britain is in relation to the rest of Europe and other countries in the world
Historically: Key moments in British history are studied in the topics such as ‘London’s Burning’ and significant historical figures.
The table below is an indication of where we can find evidence to show that British Values are an intrinsic part of school life at St Edward's.
Value | Evidence |
Democracy |
Children, parents and staff have many opportunities for their voices to be heard at St Edwards Catholic Primary and Nursery School. Democracy is central to how we operate.
Another example of ‘pupil voice’ is: •children are asked to respond and reflect on the teaching and learning they receive as well as make suggestions for the Pupil Council to consider.
Pupils are always listened to by adults and are taught to listen carefully and with concern to each other, respecting the right of every individual to have their opinions and voices heard. We encourage pupils to take ownership of not only their school but also of their own learning and progress. This encourages a heightened sense of both personal and social responsibility and is demonstrated on a daily basis by our pupils.
Parents’ opinions are welcomed at St Edward's through methods such as questionnaires, surveys at parents evenings and opportunities to comment on whole school matters .
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The Rule of Law |
The importance of rules and laws, whether they be those that govern our school or our country, are referred to and reinforced often, such as in assemblies and when reflecting on behaviour choices. At the start of the school year, each class discusses the school rules and class routines, principles that are clearly understood by all and seen to be necessary to ensure that every class member is able to learn in a safe and ordered environment, these rules are displayed in each class along with the mission of the school. These rules play a fundamental role in our behavior sanctions and rewards and are linked to our 'Going for Gold' throughout school.
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. These values are reinforced in different ways:
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Individual Liberty |
Alongside rules and laws, we promote freedom of choice and the right to respectfully express views and beliefs. Through the provision of a safe, supportive environment, we provide boundaries for our pupils to make choices safely; for example: •choices about how they can improve their learning •choices around the participation in extra-curricular activities
Our pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are taught how to exercise these safely, such as in our RE/RSE lessons.
Collective worship is used to both explore and support the school’s values. By teaching the children how to manage and understand emotions they will be motivated and equipped to:
Children in Year 5 and 6 are given key roles and responsibilities such as Play leaders, Playground Buddies, Reading Buddies, Sports ambassadors and Prefects. Through opportunities such as our extra-curricular and Lunch Time clubs, Golden Time and Residential Trips, pupils are given the freedom to make safe choices. Children here are encouraged to make choices knowing they are in a safe and supportive environment.
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Mutual respect |
We have high expectations of achievement and behaviour. Children and staff are polite and kind. We believe everyone has their own special gifts and we are expected to use them. We listen and respect each other. We teach the children that conflict will be dealt with calmly and fairly. All members of the school family are valued equally. . We celebrate each other’s achievements whether that be in or out of school through our time to shine assemblies. Teachers plan exciting, interesting, challenging and innovative lessons where everybody is expected to do their best and respect others. When our older children are given key roles and responsibilities to work alongside younger children this helps to promote mutual respect across the age phases.
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Tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs |
At St Edward's we are proud to promote and celebrate our different backgrounds and beliefs. Tolerance, politeness and mutual respect are at the heart of our aims, ethos and R.E curriculum.
Our central aim to 'Prepare children for the future' drives us towards ensuring that our pupils are able to live and work alongside people from all backgrounds and cultures. This will be particularly necessary in a future where due to technological advances will make the 'world a smaller place.' Our pupils know and understand that it is expected that respect is shown to everyone and to everything, whatever differences we may have. Children learn that their behaviour choices have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community are encouraged to treat each other with respect.
Specific examples of how we at St Edward's enhance pupils’ understanding and respect for different faiths and beliefs are:
•Through Religious Education, PSHE and other lessons where we develop awareness and appreciation of other cultures – in English through fiction and in art and music by considering cultures from other parts of the world.
•Celebrating cultural differences through assemblies, themed weeks, noticeboards and displays.
Children are encouraged to share their own experiences when celebrating their own faith. Daily worship reflects and teaches the children tolerance for different faiths and beliefs.
Activities within school support both children and adults of different or no faith, the children are taught respect and tolerance of these groups and the opinions of the groups are taken into account with all activities. Whilst instances contrary to our values are relatively rare, each is treated seriously in line with our policies and expectations. |