British Values
At Holy Family School, we work hard to promote and embed the four key British Values: democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of other faiths and beliefs so that our children can make a positive contribution to their community.
Democracy
- We encourage all of our children to get involved with the running of their school and provide them with lots of opportunities to show how they can influence decision-making, giving them a strong voice in the school especially when deciding which charities to support. Our children help as playground buddies with the younger children in school. Our KS2 children plan and deliver prayer and liturgy for the younger children. They enjoy having the opportunity to decide what the theme of the assembly should be and what message they want the children to understand.
- Our staff are excellent role models who develop strong, respectful relationships with one another, the children and parents. We encourage an open door policy to discuss any concerns and work together to resolve them.
- There is also an opportunity for our children to debate issues raised at local and national levels. Through our topics, opportunities are given for the children to debate eg in Y2 the children debate whether animals should perform in circuses through to Y6 who debate which organ is the most important. The children learn to listen to and respect the views of others and take it in turn to speak.
Rule of Law
- We discuss with our children the need for rules and boundaries. Laws provide us with protection, they help us to take responsibility for our actions and realise that there are consequences.
- Our expectations for behaviour are clear and consistent across the school. Our school behaviour policy includes rewards and consequences, and children are clear about these. We work closely with the children so that they understand their rights and take responsibility for the choices they make.
- We ensure children know which services in our community keep us safe and we promote respect for those who enforce the law. We invite the police (including police dogs), medical professionals and fire service in to discuss their role in keeping everyone safe in the community eg the fire service speak to the children about staying safe on bonfire night.
Individual Liberty
- Through our mission statement we encourage our children to take responsibility for their own actions.
- We provide a safe and supportive environment where a positive growth mindset is enabled and our children are encouraged to be independent and active participants in their thinking and learning.
- We provide guidance on how to make safe choices, for example, through e-safety teaching, whole school prayer and liturgy, cycling proficiency, swimming tuition and our SMSC, HRHE and Religious Education curricula.
- Children have a wide variety of clubs and activities available to choose from in school.
Mutual respect and tolerance of other faiths and beliefs
- Respect is a key part of our expectations for behaviour and is known and understood by all of our children. Children are encouraged to demonstrate respect for everyone they meet and to respect the environment in which we live.
- We do not tolerate bullying of any kind and this is dealt with quickly.
- If children are not showing respect for one another, we encourage others to speak out and help others to see why their actions are inappropriate.
- Children learn that how we treat one another has a direct impact on the way we in turn are treated.
- Children learn about other faiths and beliefs across the curriculum.
Remembrance Day, 2020.