Highnam Church Of England Primary Academy

Inspiring Everyone to Shine

Wetherleigh Drive, Highnam, Gloucester, GL2 8LW

01452 525872

admin@highnam.gloucs.sch.uk

British Values

British Values are embedded in the life of our school through our distinctive Christian character and demonstrated through our core eight values of Compassion, Respect, Responsibility, Truth, Courage, Fairness, Humility and Forgiveness. They are actively promoted through spiritual moral, social and cultural education and reinforced as part of our high quality teaching across the curriculum, through our collective worship and a positive behaviour policy that allows pupils to develop and demonstrate skills and attributes that will equip them to contribute positively to life in modern Britain. These values and attributes are promoted and reinforced by all staff within school and used to provide a model of behaviour for all of our pupils. The way in which our school community behaves and treats each other is built upon a basis of respect, understanding of our own worth and the worth of others as well as Christian love, whilst recognising that many of these guiding principles are also present in other faiths and cultures.

British Values should allow pupils to:

  • To understand right from wrong and to develop and understanding of the civil and criminal law in our country.
  • To enable pupils to take responsibility for their own actions and play an active, positive part in their communities, and through this, society in a wider way.
  • To enable pupils to gain an understanding and respect for public institutions in our country.
  • To understand the importance of tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling pupils to understand and appreciate their own cultures and traditions.
  • To demonstrate respect for others.
  • To encourage respect for democracy and an understanding of how this process works in this country.

How do we promote and share British Values?

Democracy

Democracy is part of our working practice at the school. 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. Pupils have their own voice, and are able to air their opinions and ideas through our Academy Council, elections for House Captain and various other committees. The election of the Academy Council members is based on pupil votes, demonstrating democracy in action. Voting is also an element of a range of day-to-day activities such as Academy Council meetings.

Individual Liberty

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices on a daily basis, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. Our pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to use these safely; examples of this can be clearly seen in our Collective Worships, PSHCE lessons, and safe internet use procedures. Whether it is through choice of challenge in maths, or how they work in groups and record their work or their choice to participate in one or more of our numerous extra-curricular activities, our pupils are given the freedom to make choices.

Mutual Respect

Respect is one of the values that drive our ethos. Through our use of Assessment for Learning, and use of talk partners, the children are taught to work in harmony with each another, regardless of differences in attainment or gender or any other perceived bias. We emphasise the right and responsibility of every child to learn. We ensure that children understand that they need to consider their actions carefully so that they do not detract from learning and therefore affect the rights of others to learn.

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws, whether they are those that govern the class, the school or the country, are consistently reinforced. Our core values are reflected in children’s routines every day. Each class follows school rights and responsibilities that reflect our core values. Our values-based behaviour policy, as well as promoting good behaviour and effort, also makes it clear that if rules are broken there are consequences. Children take part in reflecting and identifying how to make amends. Our children are also taught that there are laws to protect us, and when these laws are broken we are potentially putting ourselves in danger, and could find ourselves in trouble.

Tolerance of Those with Different Faiths and Beliefs

Highnam C of E Primary Academy enhances pupils’ understanding of different faiths and beliefs through religious education studies, PSHCE, assemblies and our Creative Curriculum. This is further enhanced through carefully planned educational visits and by welcoming parents and visitors from outside the school. Thus our pupils gain an enhanced understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society. Despite the lack of cultural diversity in the school and in our local community, we make every effort to highlight important events such as Chinese New Year, Eid and Diwali as well as the major Christian festivals – Christmas and Easter so that children understand the important of tolerating the faiths of others.

As a whole school community of pupils, staff and governors, Highnam C of E Primary Academy aims to uphold these values in our daily interactions and work with one another to ensure that our pupils leave our school able to take their place within modern Britain today.