British Values
This information should be taken and used as part of St Leonard’s Church of England Primary Academy’s overall strategy and implemented within the context of our vision, instrument of government aims, and values of a Church of England Academy. St Leonard’s is a Church of England Primary Academy which celebrates a love of God and puts the Christian ethos at the centre of all that it does.
1. Aims and Objectives
1.1 – At St Leonard’s we 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.
1.2 – Actively promoting these values means challenging opinions or behaviours in school that are contrary to fundamental British values. Attempts to promote systems that undermine British values would be completely at odds with our duty to provide Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural education.
1.3 – School staff are expected to uphold public trust in the profession and to maintain high standards of ethics and behaviour, within and outside school. This includes not undermining fundamental British values.
2. Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education (SMSC)
2.1 – Through our provision of SMSC we:
- enable pupils to develop their self-knowledge
- enable pupils to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England
- encourage pupils to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and understand how they can positively contribute to the lives of those living and working within the locality of the school, and to the wider society
- enable pupils to acquire a broad general knowledge of, and respect for, public institutions and services in England
- further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling pupils to acquire an appreciation of, and respect for, their own and other cultures
- encourage respect for oneself, and for others
- encourage respect for democracy and support for participation on the democratic processes, including respect for the basis on which law is made and applied in England
Knowledge and Understanding of British Values
3.1 – Through our teaching of British Values, we expect that pupils will:
- understand how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process
- appreciate that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and is essential for their well-being and safety
- encourage pupils to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and understand how they can positively contribute to the lives of those living and working within the locality of the school, and to the wider society
- understand that the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law
- accept that other people having different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour
- understand the importance of identifying and combating discrimination
