North Ferriby CE Primary School British Values

British Values – SMSC

The DfE have recently reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values”

The South Hunsley Partnership of schools have developed a shared vision for the way that British Values are promoted across our partnership:

South Hunsley Partnership of Schools
British Values Statement:
In our partnership, we aim to encourage children to understand the fundamental British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of people of all faiths, races and cultures. We help children to understand that while different people may hold different views about what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, all people living in England are subject to its laws.

Here at North Ferriby CE Primary School we promote British Values in a number of ways:

Democracy:

Elections take place amongst the pupils to decide upon their class representatives as School Councillors and Church School Ambassadors. Pupils have their voices heard through the council meetings, through pupil surveys and visits from governors.

The Rule of Law:

Pupils develop their understanding of why we need rules in life, e.g. to keep things fair; to maintain order; to keep us safe etc. They experience real-life examples of rules through a variety of school activities:

Class rules
School rules
Sporting rules (Football, Hockey, Netball Rounders etc)
Road Safety
Pedestrian Skills

Individual Liberty:

The right to individual liberty is covered through our RE and SMSC curriculum and pupils are encouraged to make choices in a safe and secure environment. At times they are able to choose how they present work, what level of challenge they attempt and which clubs they might be a part of.

Mutual Respect and Tolerance:

Our Christian values of ‘Friendship, and Respect’ all support pupils in developing mutual respect and tolerance of others. Through our RE and SMSC curriculum children develop awareness and understanding of people from other cultures, backgrounds and religions. These experiences are further reinforced both through the school behaviour policy and through acts of Collective Worship.

SMSC

At North Ferriby CE Primary School we recognise that the personal development of children – spiritually, morally, socially and culturally (SMSC) – plays a vital role in not only their ability to learn and achieve but in their ability to relate fully to, and have the ability to, access the world they live in. We therefore aim to provide an education that provides children with opportunities to explore and develop in these areas. Our curriculum is designed to enable children to reach their full potential whilst exploring and developing their own values and recognising that those of others may differ. A wide-range of opportunities for SMSC development are facilitated within our curriculum. Many strategies are used to deliver these opportunities both in formal lessons as well as through whole-school events and activities. Beliefs, spiritual awareness, high standards of personal behaviour including a positive caring attitude towards other people, an understanding of their social and cultural traditions and an appreciation of the diversity and richness of other cultures are all critical skills and dispositions that we nurture, encourage and develop through our curriculum and wider opportunities.

Spiritual

Pupils’ spiritual development is shown by their:

Exploration of beliefs (religious or otherwise) which inform their perspective on life and their interest in and respect for different people’s feelings and values
Sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them.
Use of imagination and creativity in their learning
Willingness to reflect on their experiences

Moral

Childrens’ moral development is shown by their:

Ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong and their readiness to apply this understanding in their own lives
Understanding of the consequences of their actions
Interest in investigating and offering reasoned views about moral and ethical issues

Social

Childrens’ social development is shown by their:

Use of a range of social skills in different contexts, including working and socialising with children from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds
Willingness to participate in a variety of social settings, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts empathetically
Interest in, and understanding of, the way communities and societies function

Cultural

Pupils’ cultural development is shown by their:

Understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage
Willingness to participate in, and respond to artistic, musical, sporting, mathematical, technological, scientific and cultural opportunities
Interest in exploring, understanding of, and respect for cultural diversity and the extent to which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity, as shown by their attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities.

PREVENT DUTY

What is the Prevent strategy?

‘Prevent’ is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes.

The Prevent strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism, including the extreme right wing, violent Islamist groups and other causes.

How does the Prevent strategy apply to schools?

From July 2015 all schools (as well as other organisations) have a duty to safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism.

This means we have a responsibility to protect children from extremist and violent views the same way we protect them from drugs or gang violence.

Importantly, we can provide a safe place for pupils to discuss these issues so they better understand how to protect themselves.

What does this mean in practice?

Many of the things we already do in school to help children become positive, happy members of society also contribute to the Prevent strategy.

These include:

Exploring other cultures and religions and promoting diversity
Challenging prejudices and racist comments
Developing thinking skills and a strong, positive self-identity
Promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, as well as British values such as democracy

We will also protect children from the risk of radicalisation, for example by using filters on the internet to make sure they can’t access extremist and terrorist material, or by vetting visitors who come into school to work with pupils.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How does Prevent relate to British values?

Schools have been required to promote British values since 2014, and this will continue to be part of our response to the Prevent strategy.

British values include:

The rule of law
Individual liberty and mutual respect
Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs

Isn’t my child too young to learn about extremism?

The Prevent strategy is not just about discussing extremism itself, which may not be appropriate for younger children. It is also about teaching children values such as tolerance and mutual respect.

The school will make sure any discussions are suitable for the age and maturity of the children involved.

Is extremism really a risk in our area?

Extremism can take many forms, including political, religious and misogynistic extremism. Some of these may be a bigger threat in our area than others.

We will give children the skills to protect them from any extremist views they may encounter, now or later in their lives.

What do we do if there is a concern?

If we have a concern about a particular pupil we will follow the school’s normal safeguarding procedures, including discussing with the school’s designated safeguarding lead, and where deemed necessary, with children’s social care. In Prevent priority areas, the local authority will have a Prevent lead who can also provide support.

We may also contact the local police force or dial 101 (the non-emergency number). They can talk to us in confidence about concerns and help us gain access to support and advice.

The Department for Education has dedicated a telephone helpline (020 7340 7264) to enable staff and governors to raise concerns relating to extremism directly. Concerns can also be raised by email to counter.extremism@education.gsi.gov.uk. Please note that the helpline is not intended for use in emergency situations, such as a child being at immediate risk of harm or a security incident In an emergency situation we will follow the recommended emergency procedures.

KEY TERMS

Extremism – vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values such as democracy, the rule of law and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs

Ideology – a set of beliefs

Terrorism – a violent action against people or property, designed to create fear and advance a political, religious or ideological cause

Radicalisation – the process by which a person comes to support and be involved with extremist causes.

NORTH FERRIBY CE PRIMARY SCHOOL