In November 2014 the DfE produced guidance for schools on actively promoting British values as part of the requirement to provide for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of their pupils.

The guidance says on page 5:

Schools should 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.

It says that, through their provision of SMSC, schools should:

• Enable students 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 students 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 students 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 students 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.

PROMOTING BRITISH VALUES

At Hertford St Andrew Primary School these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy:

Democracy is richly embedded within the school. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council, pupil voice, meeting with the Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team. Our school behaviour and values policies involve rewards and sanctions; this is shared through all aspects of school life and also shared with parents, carers and children from Reception to Year 6.

The Rule of Law:

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

Individual Liberty:

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for all pupils to make choices safely, through provision of a safe environment and an empowering approach through the education. 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 lessons. Pupils are further empowered through being part of a school council and being able to take part in pupil forums which link directly to the senior leadership team or governors. Pupils are given the freedom to make a wide range of choices from attending extra-curricular clubs to supporting fund raising events.

Mutual Respect:

As a school which holds values at the core of its ethos, our school Behaviour policy has evolved around Core Values such as ‘Respect’, and pupils have been part of discussions and collective worship related to what this means and how it is shown. Respect is one of our values taught explicitly within lessons, collective worship and within the ethos of being a school that respects the rights of all others. It is shared with home through newsletters and website information. Adults throughout the school model, demonstrate and promote respect for others as do older children who have suitable, age related, tasks and responsibilities and this is reiterated through our classroom and learning rules, as well as our behaviour.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:

At Hertford St Andrew Primary School we deliver a broad and balanced RE curriculum that supports the understanding and therefore tolerance towards those of different faiths and beliefs. Collective worship and discussions involving prejudices are supported by learning in RE and SMSC lessons. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school.

Jigsaw contributes, as a good PSHE programme should, to the British Values agenda very significantly, both through the direct teaching of information and through the experiential learning children will enjoy.

The 5 strands of the British Values agenda have been mapped across every Puzzle and every Piece (lesson).