British Values at Swan Lane
British Values are met through the general requirement in the Education Act 2002, that…
“Through ensuring pupils’ SMSC development, schools can also demonstrate they are actively promoting fundamental British Values.”
British Values is divided into four sections:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
Below we will demonstrate how we cover each of these four areas at Swan Lane First School.
Democracy
Head Pupils
Every year, we appoint 2 Year 5 pupils to carry out the role of Head Pupil. Candidates wishing to apply for the post have to explain why they think they would be suitable for the job. The Year 5 teachers explore with the children what skills they would need to be considered as a suitable candidate. It is then down to Mrs. Pearce-King and the teachers to select who they think would be the best people for the job based on their application. Head Pupils take on a very active part in the running of the school.
Pupil Leadership Team (PLT)
Each of the children appointed to the PLT have to apply for their position and they join with the Head Pupils to form the PLT. The PLT take on an active role in fundraising, organising events such as Harvest Foodbank, Comic Relief, Children In Need, Remembrance Day, Christmas Jumper Day. They visit the classrooms regularly to seek the views of the children and discuss anything they would like to put forward at the next PLT meeting. Any suggestions for improvements or any ideas raised are then taken to SLT meetings.
Assemblies and Pupil Voice
School groups, including the PLT, Digital Leaders, Mindful Bees and Climate Action Group, regularly lead whole school assemblies.
The PLT in the Community
Operation Christmas Child
The PLT organise the collection of shoe boxes in aid of Operation Christmas Child. Each year group are tasked with an item to bring in and then the PLT spend an afternoon collating the donations and creating wonderful Christmas boxes that are then distributed to disadvantaged children around the world.
Remembrance Service
The children attend a Battle of Britain Remembrance Service at the local cemetery.
Local MP Visit
The School Council have had the opportunity of meeting with Nigel Huddleston (local Conservative MP) and interviewing him about his role in local and national politics.
Houses of Parliament
The School Council have also enjoyed the wonderful opportunity of visiting the Houses of Parliament. Not only did they enjoy a tour of Parliament where they participated in a mock debate but also enjoyed a guided tour of London via the Duck Tour on both land and river.
PSHE
PSHE lessons provide children with the opportunity to explore their ideas on a given topic and share them with others. It is a vital learning opportunity whereby teachers ensure that individual points of view are listened to and the children are taught to respect the views of others.
Parliament Week
During Parliament Week, each class participates in a variety of different activities. It provides a valuable opportunity to learn about how democracy operates in this country. Some classes engage in secret ballots to vote on a particular issue or idea and others hold mock-debates.
Rule of Law
Understanding and exploring rules and codes of behaviour and involving pupils in writing rules
At the start of each school year, each class discuss why rules are important and how they facilitate an effective classroom environment. We believe that involving the children in constructing any classroom rules and ensuring that they are active participants in creating these rules is very important to ensure that they feel they have ownership over them. These rules obviously relate and build on our wider school rules and reinforce the importance of rules and laws operating within our school community and within society as a whole.
Visits from police
We are fortunate to receive regular visits from our local PCSOs who deliver whole-school assemblies as well as visiting some of the classes to support the learning that is taking place.
Visiting courts and learning about how they work
The School Council members visit our local council chambers in Evesham and meet the mayor. This provides an opportunity to compare the work of the School Council with that of the local council.
Individual Liberty
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PSHE lessons and Self Confidence The Jigsaw Programme is the scheme of work we use to deliver PSHE. It provides lots of opportunities to cover this area of British Values. Children are continually encouraged to consider and express their thoughts and feelings on a variety of different topics. As a result of this, they recognise the worth of their opinions and become more confident in sharing them. |
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Learning about rights and personal freedoms: as well as struggles for liberty and freedom As a whole school we learn about the NSPCC ‘Let’s talk PANTS’ initiative and what PANTS stands for. The idea behind this concept is teaching children the important message that their body belongs to them and that they should always talk to an adult if something is bothering them. |
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Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
Children show understanding and appreciation of a range of different faiths, beliefs and cultures within school and further afield as preparation for life in modern Britain.
RE curriculum
The RE curriculum provides opportunities for the children to learn about different faiths and beliefs and therefore the children are able to make comparisons about the similarities and differences between these major world faiths.
Foundation Stage
Reception enjoy learning about lots of different religions, cultures and their traditions. They enjoy special days dedicated to support this learning e.g Diwali Day where they get to make some Rangoli patterns, try some delicious Indian food and perform some Indian dancing.
Visits to faith communities and places of worship
The RE Curriculum is enriched by a number of visits to different places of worship including All Saints Church here in Evesham, as well as travelling further afield to visit a mosque, a synagogue and a Hindu temple.
