The British values fall into the following broad areas;
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect
- Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
Promotion of these values is in order to ensure that young people leave school understanding the importance of respect, and are prepared for life in modern Britain.
In 2014, Lord Nash said: “A key part of our plan for education is to ensure children become valuable and fully-rounded members of society who treat others with respect and tolerance, regardless of background.” Brook Academy will develop its own core values that are taught with and complement the British Values. These are resilience, kindness and pride.
British values and the school values are promoted through the curriculum, collective worship and extra curriculum activities.
There is a strong school ethos for providing relevant activities beyond the classroom to ensure pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is met.
The school has a well-established sense of community and pupils, families, staff and Governors feel supported by effective relationships throughout the school.
Here are some of the ways British values are embedded in the school community.
Democracy
KS3 (follow a primary model) and those following a nurture programme:
- Understanding of self as part of group/class is taught explicitly through attention and engagement lessons.
- Class votes for reward activities or trips.
- Pupils decide on class rules.
- Reparative tasks as completed to ‘make things better’, when things have gone wrong. Staff support students throughout this restorative process, promoting self-reflection, as appropriate.
- Each class votes in a representative for the School Council.
- PSHE curriculum.
- Students form part of the interview process for new staff.
KS3 and KS4
- Each class votes in a representative for the School Council.
- PSHE curriculum.
- Class votes for reward activities or trips.
- Pupils decide on class rules.
- Class votes to deicide winners of competitions, e.g. best pumpkin-carving.
- Assemblies on democracy.
- School Code of Conduct displayed in every learning space in a way that our young people can access. This lists what positive behaviours are expected. Students help draw this up.
- Students form part of the interview process for new staff.
- Some students take part in Duke of Edinburgh Award.
- ‘Activities week’ is student-led; students choose, vote on and plan what they’d like to do.
The Rule of Law
KS3 (follow a primary model) and those following a nurture programme:
- PSHE curriculum
- Understanding own rights and the need for playground and class rules.
- Beginning to understand that there are laws to protect them in society and if they are broken there are consequences.
- Working with local PCSOs, who visit the school to discuss their role as police officers.
- Reparative tasks as completed to ‘make things better’, when things have gone wrong. Staff support students throughout this restorative process, promoting self-reflection, as appropriate.
- Students and/or parents sign home/school agreement.
- All students take part in sports day activities.
KS3 and KS4
- KS3 and KS4 PSHE curriculum.
- Laws specific to their age group – e.g. laws about consent and sexual activity, drugs, alcohol, film and game classifications.
- Working with local PCSOs, who visit school to discuss their role as police officers.
- YOT representatives visit and talk to young people about sentencing and youth community orders.
- Understanding own rights and the need for playground and class rules.
- Understanding own responsibility to stick to rules.
- Understand that there are laws to protect them in society and if they are broken, there are consequences.
- Understanding what to do if they think someone is breaking a rule or law.
- School Code of Conduct displayed in every learning space in a way that our young people can access. This lists what positive behaviours are expected.
- An assembly on this value.
- Students and/ or parents sign home school agreement.
- All students take part in sports day activities.
- Students and/or parents sign home/school agreement.
- Code of conduct and behavioural expectations along with rewards/consequences are discussed during introductory week.
- In KS4 – Visits from the local police department to discuss issues around law and order.
- Law and order content integrated within PSHE curriculum.
- Student involvement in formulating post-16 specific rules around behaviour and working practice.
Individual liberty
KS3 (follow a primary model) and those following a nurture programme:
- PSHE curriculum.
- Speech and language therapy for expressive communication skills.
- Making choices embedded in daily activities, i.e. lunch choices, choosing time.
- Topics – RE: Who are we? and life journeys.
- Beginning to understand that sometimes, as a child, some decisions are made on our behalf, in our best interests.
- Choices being embedded throughout the day, as appropriate.
- Unsafe or disruptive choices reflected on by staff and student, as appropriate.
- Successes celebrated termly through celebration assemblies.
- Behaviour choices – choosing to make the right choice in a school where behaviour is supported by the Team Teach model.
KS3 and KS4
- PSHE curriculum.
- An assembly on this value.
- Learning about UN Rights of the Child Charter.
- Learning about choices and options. For example, in what to do in free time, in selecting options for subjects in Key Stage 4 and in making decisions about next steps after secondary.
- Understanding that with liberty comes responsibility.
- School Code of Conduct displayed in every learning space in a way that those young people can access. This lists what positive behaviours are expected.
- Successes celebrated termly through celebration assemblies.
- Behaviour choices – choosing to make the right choice in a school where behaviour is supported by the Team Teach model.
- Relationship choices – choosing and saying ‘no’ through the delivery of So Safe/ASDAN RSE qualification and Jigsaw.
- Community visits and projects, to help individuals understand their role in the community and the individual liberties that need to be respected within a community.
- Class jobs.
- Work experience – increasing independence.
- Travel training – increasing independence.
Mutual respect
KS3 (follow a primary model) and those following a nurture programme
- PSHE curriculum.
- Topics – valuing differences.
- Reparative tasks as completed to ‘make things better’, when things have gone wrong. Staff support students throughout this restorative process, promoting self-reflection, as appropriate.
- Children learn that the choices that they make have an impact on those around them.
- Zones of regulation – morning and afternoon check-ins.
- RE topic – values and how we affect others
KS3 and KS4
- PSHE curriculum.
- Volunteer work and team work Duke of Edinburgh Award.
- Team work in lessons.
- Giving feedback to others on their performance.
- Awards and certificates in assemblies to celebrate each other’s achievements and skills builds respect.
- The way that staff model respectful behaviour towards each other and to younger people builds respect across the whole school population.
- An assembly on the value.
- School Code of Conduct displayed in every learning space in a way that those young people can access. This lists what positive behaviours are expected. Students know to follow the code means they are respecting each other and the school.
- Understanding consequences and rewards with a focus on natural consequences.
- Understanding each other’s differences and how to respect one another in PSHE.
- Developing working skills via work experience – respecting authority in the workplace and the rights of colleagues.
- PSHE curriculum enables students to talk openly about their difficulties and understand/support one another.
Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
KS3 (follow a primary model) and those following a nurture programme
- PSHE curriculum.
- RE curriculum.
- Celebration of religious festivals.
- RE creation stories.
- Assemblies.
- Ensuring that resources used – e.g. books and toys – reflect the multi-cultural nature of Britain.
KS3 and KS4:
- KS3/KS4 RE topics morals and religious stories, places of worship, religious beliefs, non-religious world-views, creation stories and Gods around the world.
- An assembly on the value.
- Assemblies and other learning that celebrate different faiths and customs within the UK and across the world.
- Positive examples from across different faiths and beliefs used as part of lessons and learning.
- Proper consideration of needs of those where practices relating to faith are carefully considered. For example, during Ramadan.
- Ensuring that resources used in lessons reflect the multi-cultural nature of modern Britain
- RE trips to places of worship.
- Themed PSHE sessions around religious festivals, throughout the year.
- Employability skills – respecting those of different faiths in the workplace.
- Ensuring that resources used in lessons reflect the multi-cultural nature of modern Britain.
