British Values
British values play a very important role at Blackfordby Primary School.
We teach children that Britain has its own Core Values, that bind us all together as a country, and that make all who live here special.
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Democracy
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Rule of law
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Individual liberty
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Mutual respect
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Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
We teach our children these values through the curriculum and varied daily interactions to ensure that they understand British Values and how they link to Glenfrome’s core values. Here are some examples of when British values are shared:
Curriculum
Our curriculum prepares children for life in British Society; this includes developing the understanding and use of money, effective reading and writing skills, collaboration and discussion to research ideas and concepts. Some of our curriculum topics include the context of the United Kingdom as well as national and international comparisons such as: World War II, The Tudors, Local Area studies, The Great Fire of London, Rainforests and Ancient Greece.
Daily acts of collective worship/ whole school assembly
Our assemblies uphold our core values of Patience, Hope, Perseverance, Constancy, each week we celebrate success both inside and outside school. Once a week children lead a 'Send the Light' assembly, this is an act of sending love and hope to various people both locally and around the world. Father Michael leads collective worship once a week.
PSHE
Mutual respect is one of our five Rs, it is also taught within PSHE lessons and in an informal nature throughout the school day. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety policy and PSHE work on keeping myself safe.
Religious Education
Respect for all faiths and beliefs is promoted in the teaching of RE as children gain a greater understanding of religious diversity and practices for those religions represented in our school and the UK. Planning for RE is directed by the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) - Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education and the Understanding Christianity materials. The local Church and other places of worship are visited as part of the RE curriculum. Children are encouraged to talk about their faith and learn about different festivals through the year.
Physical Education
Promotion of the concept of “fair play”, following and developing rules, celebrating and rewarding success, accepting defeat and participating in activities that promote cooperation with others and inclusion for all form an integral part of the PE curriculum, and our extra curricular sporting calendar.
Pupil Voice
Blackfordby St Margaret's promotes democratic processes through the election of school councillors and Eco Council members. This fosters the concept of freedom of speech and group action to address need and concerns. Children see how they are listened to and how their actions can produce results when the processes are followed.
Involvement in key local and national events:
Each year Armistice Day is remembered and children are encouraged to reflect on this.
Through talking to our community we ensure that we move forward in a mutually respectful and tolerant way. Our children perform in a nativity play, and sing Carols. We also celebrate Eid, Diwali and Chinese New Year.
Democracy: we use a student council to promote Student Voice, children vote for their representatives and members feedback the decisions which have been taken.
Rule of law: The school has a set of school rules, which are maintained using the Class Dojo system and the our 5 Rs:
- RESPECTFUL We are polite, kind and keep our hands and feet to ourselves.
- READY We are well prepared to learn.
- RESPONSIBLE We make wise decisions and ask for help if needed.
- RESILIENT We will get stuck into a challenge and learn from any mistakes.
- REFLECTIVE We think carefully about our actions.
Children are rewarded for following the school rules, and have a flowchart of appropriate sanctions if they are broken.
Individual liberty: Children are encouraged to develop independent skills in the classroom and around the school.
Mutual respect: Staff continually model proper communication towards pupils and expect the same respect from them in return. Children are expected to behave courteously towards each other
Tolerance: We learn about the main world religions in RE and the children are encouraged to respect them and develop an understanding. Children are tolerant of each other.