St. James' C. of E. School Charter and British Values
Our community is a place where we work hard to encourage everyone to:
● Treat others with respect ● Be resilient ● Treat others with forgiveness ● Treat others with kindness ● Keep inclusion at the heart of the choices that we make ● Be a source of joy for the world Respect runs through our school and is central to the way that we treat each other. It is through these core ideals that we are able to promote British values. The government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy. At St James’ these values have been in place for a very long time and continue to be reinforced. Democracy: Democracy is highly visible within the school. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our Pupil Parliament and Pupil questionnaires. The Pupil Parliament is a particular focus this year, highlighted in the School Development Plan. They have already delivered an Anti-Bullying assembly, identified opportunities to raise money for charity and supported the Friends of St James Christmas Disco. Once a year we complete a PASS survey, gathering the views of all children on a range of topics, including their own attitudes to school, learning and themselves. The Rule of Law: The importance of Laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind rules, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when rules are broken. Visits from authorities, such as when the Police came to talk to the school on the issue of dangerous parking, help reinforce this message. Individual Liberty: Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young pupils to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advise how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons. Whether it be through choice of challenge, of how they record, of participation in our extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices. Mutual Respect: Underpinning our school ethos and behaviour policy is the notion of “Love your neighbour as yourself”, and pupils have been part of discussions and assemblies related to what this means and how it is shown. Key to this idea is that of mutual respect, and this is discussed regularly in class and during assemblies. Children are encouraged to think about what respect means and how to show it, while also being asked why it is important. Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs: This is achieved through enhancing pupils understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity. Assemblies and discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in RE and PSHE. We are lucky to have a very diverse school population and encourage children to talk about their family backgrounds in a warm and positive way. This can be seen in many ways at school, from the way that children interact with each other, to the annual Eid and Diwali parties we hold at school to celebrate these festivals. |