BRITISH VALUES STATEMENT

Brook Street School is committed to ensuring that the pupils who are taught here are provided with a broad and balanced curriculum.  One which prepares them for their next stage of education, their future adult life in modern Britain and becoming a valued citizen of our ever changing society. We recognise the multi-cultural, multi faith and ever changing society of the United Kingdom and wish to prepare our pupils for the future.   Since September 2014 the Department for Education has introduced a statutory duty for schools to promote British Values more actively and ensure that British Values are taught across the school.  The five key British Values are:

• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual Respect
• Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

At Brook Street School these values are taught across the curriculum but are embedded within our PSHE scheme through the Jigsaw programme and through being a Kidsafe School.  We aim to encourage pupils to:

• Reflect on their own and others beliefs gaining an appreciation for other’s viewpoints.
• Gain a sense of enjoyment in learning about themselves, others and the world around them.
• Recognise the difference between right and wrong, consider the consequences of their behaviour, hence gaining an understanding of civil and criminal law in the United Kingdom.
• Gain a knowledge of Britain’s democratic parliamentary system past to present, including how citizens can influence decision-making through a democratic process (Voting and Election)
• Understand, accept, reflect and celebrate diversity, showing a tolerance towards others in local, national and global communities.

Whilst much of this can be planned for and taught discreetly, it is also through the vision and values, ethos, rewards and sanctions and daily lived experience of the school that pupils will gain a deep understanding of these fundamental values. 

Below are just a few examples of how we aim to embed these values into the life of the school. 

Democracy:

The concept of having your voice heard and going with the majority view will be common to most children at a primary school and Brook Street is no exception. Our school council is democratically elected and regularly seeks the views of pupils on issues such as school improvement, fund raising ideas, charity events, fairness and equal opportunities. There are a number of local Councillors on the school’s Governing Body who regularly meet with and support the work of the school council.  

The Rule of Law:

The importance of Laws, whether they be those that govern the class, school, or the country, are consistently reinforced across the school on a daily basis.  We present a strong message in terms of code of conduct and the importance and reasons behind these rules.  The school has a comprehensive behaviour policy which is reviewed regularly. The simple but robust sanction system in place in school also serves to help children understand that there are consequences to ones actions and the importance of following the rules.  All staff, pupils and parents sign a home /school agreement on admission to the school.  All stakeholders are aware of their responsibilities and consequences of their actions.

The school has close links with the local community police, PCSO’s who regularly visit and informally support the school.  The fire service also visit the school to speak to the pupils about keeping themselves safe and acting responsibly as good citizens should.

Individual Liberty:

Our “You Can Do It” programme, continues to promote the personal qualities of confidence, persistence, getting along and organisation.  This encourages pupils to take ownership of their thinking, decisions and consequent actions.  Our reward system linked to this programme promotes positive behaviour and a sense of achievement in aiming to be the very best each individual can be. All pupils are encouraged to become independent learners, developing a thirst for knowledge and making informed choices from about their learning to the afterschool club they wish to commit to. 

Mutual Respect:

There is a strong ethos of respect at Brook Street School.  We expect and hold the highest expectations for everyone in our school community.  Adults actively model respect to one another and with the pupils.  We teach the pupils to take pride in themselves, their work, their school and local community.  We are also striving to encourage the pupils to become good digital citizens, through the e safety curriculum and participation in Safer Internet Day.  The message of mutual respect is demonstrated every day and reinforced through assemblies.  In particular our Pupil of the Week assembly celebrates the successes of individuals each week.

Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs:

We are proud of the cultural diversity of our school. We strive to provide lots of opportunities for our pupils to learn, understand and tolerate those of different faiths and beliefs. Our RE Policy includes key aims to enable pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding of religious beliefs, practices and lifestyles.  We actively seek and utilise the knowledge and experience of the parents who sometimes give input into lessons, for example, celebrations and festival such as Eid.  We make good cross – curricular links in our planning and learn about other faiths and cultures in all subjects. We have regular assemblies in school delivered by the Vicar from St Johns Church and make good use of assemblies in general to celebrate cultural diversity in society. Children with English as an additional language make good progress at our school because their home languages are incorporated and valued around school.

We hope the pupils who attend Brook Street School will leave at the end of Key Stage 2 with the skills that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.