British Values

Promoting Fundamental British Values at St Ignatius Catholic School

In accordance with The Department for Education, we aim to actively promote British values in our school to ensure young people leave school prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils are encouraged to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect and tolerance and understand that while different people may hold different views about what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, all people living in England are subject to its law.

The promotion of ‘British values’ is central to Catholic education because British values have their origin in the Christian values of our nation.

“We are proud that Catholic schools promote values that are both Catholic and British, including: respect for the individual, democracy, individual liberty, respect, tolerance and inclusiveness. Our schools promote cohesion by serving more ethnically diverse and poorer communities. Catholic schools provide high standards of education which are popular with parents from all social, economic and faith backgrounds.”

Paul Barber (Catholic Education Service 15 December 2014).

We promote British Values though our mission statement, our Religious Education, our own faith, our assemblies and worships and our day to day life at St Ignatius. They are woven into everything we do. We also promote British Values through our spiritual, moral, social and cultural education and ensure our curriculum and teaching strives to educate the ‘whole child’ and provide inclusive learning. As a staff, we all strive to emanate British Values through our behaviour and act as role models for our children. The term ‘British Values’ does not just apply to the values of Britain. The values set out apply to so many countries throughout the world – they differ in no way from the values of most western European countries

The Key British Values are:

democracy
rule of law
individual liberty
mutual respect
tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

What do we do to teach Democracy?

Encourage pupils to become involved in decision-making processes and ensure they are listened to in school, such as through the school council
Help pupils to express their views, including through circle time and the use of ABC (Pupil voice)
Democracy is shown/taught through history topics such as the Vikings, Saxons, Ancient Greece and inspirational women in history
Provide pupils with a broad general knowledge of, and promote respect for, public institution and services
Teach pupils how they can influence decision- making through the democratic process (mock elections)
Pupils across key stages take part in pupil questionnaires for a range of subjects, especially PSHE.
Parent Conferences- these are held termly with parents. Their ideas and thoughts are listened to and taken on board

What do we do to teach Individual Liberty?

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment, this includes a regular and high emphasis on online safety
Pupils have key roles and responsibilities in the school, including school council, travel ambassadors etc
We are currently in the process of rolling out our new PSHE programme across the school, these will be in addition to our awareness days.
Singing assemblies, Mission Statement and visual representation of our school values, spreading our vision
A wide range of extra- curricular activities, events, residential trips (Pendarren) and visitors enable the children to develop their individuality
Implement a strong anti-bullying culture
Ongoing visits to other places of worship- e.g synagogue
Assemblies- key figures who campaigned for freedom
Openly discussing and celebrating the differences between people such as different faiths, gender, ethnicity and disability
Dress up days/Enrichment

What do we do to teach Mutual Respect?

A Mission Statement, Ethos and School Policies that are based on Gospel values that embrace respect and tolerance for each other... ‘In Gods hands we will follow our PEARL values’.
One of our PEARL values = Respect
We all have high expectations of achievement and behaviour. Children and staff are polite and kind
We listen and respect each other
All members of St Ignatius staff are equally valued
Weekly acknowledgements are made of all achievements and awards of the pupils in school
Our wide range of sports activities promotes an attitude of equality and fairness
Our PSHE/RHE curriculum embodies values of mutual respect
We promote respect for individual differences
Organise visits to places of worship
Develop critical personal thinking skills
Challenge prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour
Class assemblies have universal themes of respect and embed our PEARL values
International Day (Annual)- A celebration of different communities, cultures and countries around the world
As part of our RE curriculum each class learns about other faiths; every class studies Judaism and then one other Religion during the year. In these lessons the children will learn about the faith’s beliefs, traditions and cultures and how they are similar or different to our own
We consider how some cultures and countries have vulnerable people e.g. homeless people and refugees. Through our charity work with Cafod and The Passage we have raised money and awareness for people in need at home and abroad

What do we do to teach The Rule of Law?

Clearly structured and publicised Behavioural Policy
Assemblies cover national and international events
Visits from outside agencies- e.g bikeability etc
Regular class and school awards and special celebrations
Class rules- linked to our school’s PEARL values
Use of praise and rewards to promote positive consequences (Class Dojo, Stay On Green etc)
Visits from the local public services to talk to the children about being safe and the law. These include- fire service, police officers, road safety units etc.
Help pupils to distinguish right from wrong- school council discussions, debating etc
Road Safety/Travel Plan

What do we do to teach Tolerance of Different Faiths and Beliefs?

St Ignatius Catholic Primary School has high expectations about pupil conduct and understanding of diversity. This is reflected in our Behaviour and Equality policies
As a Catholic worshipping community, pupils are reminded of their place in a culturally diverse society. This is achieved through the Religious Education curriculum and the spiritual life of the school
Assemblies and class work promote the diversity of society and the right for each person to be respected and valued equally regardless of ability, gender, faith, heritage or ethnicity
Daily worship offers opportunities to teach tolerance and understanding
Diversity is also promoted through music, displays, international days, drama/stories etc

British Values through the Curriculum

Interwoven within the curriculum in a range of curriculum areas are planned opportunities to teach the values of our society. Some examples are;

History: How we influence democracy is explored though the curriculum and assemblies. This includes looking at historical figures such as Nelson Mandela and Gandhi and exploring the effectiveness of different approaches. The Rule of Law and the importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country is consistently reinforced at St Ignatius. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights, whilst understanding that with exercising their rights comes responsibility.
Geography: We ensure that pupils have a better understanding of what Britain is; learning more about its capital cities and counties, its rivers and mountains, and where Britain is in relation to the rest of Europe and other countries in the world.
Music: We are reviewing the music curriculum to include the study of British composers (composer week) and their global influence.
Art: The study of how British artists influence others around the world.
Religious Education: Gaining a greater understanding of religious diversity and practices which covers key religions represented in the UK. All pupils have the opportunity to visits places of worship that are important to different to faiths. St Ignatius Catholic Primary School actively promotes diversity through celebrations of different faiths and cultures.
Physical Education: Promotion of the concept of “fair play”, following and developing rules, inclusion, celebrating and rewarding success, being magnanimous in defeat and participation in activities that promote kinship and affiliation with others.
Computing: Pupils are also taught about respect and bullying in the online world through our learning platform and though regular online safety lessons.
School Council: Promotion of democratic processes, fostering the concept and application of freedom of speech and group action to address needs and concerns. Key to this is the concept of holding others to account, including those in positions of influence and authority.
Educational visits: Our broad range of educational visits and experiences outside of the classroom equips our pupils with the skills to make a positive contribution to their community as equal citizens, as well as being able to look at British heritage in more depth. Recent visits have included a visit to the Horniman Museum, the British Museum and Bruce Castle.
Community Events: We work closely with charities and organisations such as, CAFOD, the Catholic Children’s Society and our local food bank in Tottenham. We encourage our pupils to interact with pupils from other schools, both locally and further afield, though organised activities.

We feel strongly at St Ignatius that it is our duty to help develop our children into be respectful, tolerant, democratic and law abiding members of society, with support of their parents and the whole school community.

At St Ignatius we access 'Picture News'. This resources helps us to understand what is going on in the world and we relate this to our British Values.