Promoting British Values at Purbrook Junior School
The DFE have reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs”.
The Government set out a definition of British Values in the 2014 Prevent Strategy, and these values have been reiterated this year. At Purbrook Junior School these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:
Democracy
Children at Purbrook play an ever increasing role in school leadership. We have a Junior Improvement Team (JIT) from Y3-Y6 which meets regularly to discuss issues pertinent to school. The JIT represent the voice of pupils within Purbrook and is able to affect change within the school. Every child on the JIT is voted in by their class. The council account for their actions and decisions by giving a report to governors annually.
Pupil voice is also seen with children being chosen to be House Captains, Sports Captains and Eco-Warriors. Children learn about rights and responsibilities. They have the right to ensure the views of children are integral to our school life and curriculum and also the responsibility to carry out their role with integrity. Pupils are often involved in the interview process for appointing staff.
The children annually create class charters where they collectively decide what actions are acceptable in their classrooms. This enables the children to hold others to account for inappropriate actions, in direct contrast to rules which would be imposed on them. This work underpins our school values.
Through our curriculum children are taught about, and encouraged to respect, public institutions and services. One example of this is pupils are selected at random for pupil conferencing meetings with members of the senior leadership team to seek their views and opinions on a range of school and community issues.
The Rule of Law
The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country are consistently reinforced at Purbrook.
Pupils are taught from an early age the rules of the school through the class charters, assemblies, school behaviour policy, home school agreement, e-safety talks and everyday life modelled by the staff. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind rules and laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service help reinforce this message.
Individual Liberty
At Purbrook, 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 informed choices, through a safe environment and an empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our PSHE work.
Purbrook has a robust anti bullying culture and behaviour and safety policies in place.
Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs
Mutual respect is at the heart of our values. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community treat each other with respect and this is specifically reinforced through school systems such as Infant/Junior partners.
Purbrook provide opportunities for the children to visit places of significant cultural interest, places of worship e.g. Y5 visit to the Garrison Church, and we actively encourage visitors from a range of communities and organisations into school. Resources linked to the six major religions practiced in Britain are used to develop children’s understanding of different faiths.
Purbrook Junior understands the importance of discussion and has this threaded through all subjects of the curriculum. This ensures children are taught discretely how to deal with people who have opposing views to them and to feel confident to state if they have opposing views to others.
The school supports a charity each year and plan fundraising and awareness raising activities to support.
