British Values

At St. Laurence Church Infant School we set out to work with our families to help our children become thoughtful, caring and responsible members of society who treat others with respect and tolerance, regardless of background.

We promote the basic British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs.

Democracy

We have a School Council which is made up of two members from each class. These representatives are nominated and voted for by their classmates. They meet regularly to discuss a range of issues. The discussions are then fed back to the rest of the class where they can all share their views and thoughts.

Within each class, chances are regularly made for children to have their opinions heard, for example by voting for which book they would like at story time, or what the class treat should be when they have collected enough ‘Brilliant Behaviour Buttons’.

Article 12. Respect for children’s views
“Children have the right to give their opinions freely on issues that affect them. Adults should listen and take children seriously.”

The Rule of Law

Our School Rules of ‘Be Ready, Be Respectful’ and ‘Be Safe’ are clearly outlined in our Behaviour Regulation Policy, which is also shared with parents and carers. At the beginning of the year class teachers discuss these rules with their pupils and the rules are regularly revisited through our explicit behaviour curriuclum. There are rewards for following the school rules and clear sanctions for breaking them. We teach a restorative approach, where children are helped to ‘put things right’ helping them to understand the consequences of their actions.

We ensure that children understand that rules are there to protect us and are essential for our wellbeing and safety. Children are also taught the importance of forgiveness and being allowed to make a fresh start.

We learn that if we are not ready, we are taking away other children’s right to education (Article 28) If we are not respectful we are taking away other children’s rights to views (Article 12) and if we are not safe, we are taking away our and other children’s right to protection from harm (Article 19)

Individual Liberty

We encourage our children to make their own choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. Through our PSHE lessons we discuss the different choices they may make and the consequences of those choices. Children are continually encouraged to make the right, safe choice by all adults working in school. The importance of making safe choices when using the Internet is explored through the Computing curriculum. We make children aware of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in an age-appropriate way.

Article 13: Sharing Thoughts Freely
“Each child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right includes freedom to seek, receive and share information and ideas of all kinds.”

Mutual Respect

Our whole school ethos is built around mutual respect. We are an inclusive school where everyone is valued and has a contribution to make to the school. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. Children are encouraged to respect each other throughout the day and they see this attitude modelled by the adults in the school. Our curriculum presents children with real people and fictional characters from a range of backgrounds and prompts discussion about our common humanity.  We teach children that racism, homophobia and transphobia, or discrimination on gender, age or disability is never acceptable.

Article 2: No discrimination
“All children have all these rights, no matter who they are, where they live, what language they speak, what their religion is, what they think, what they look like, if they are a boy or girl, if they have a disability, if they are rich or poor, and no matter who their parents or families are or what their parents or families believe or do. No child should be treated unfairly for any reason.”

Tolerance of Those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

As a Church of England school, the Christian faith and its values are an integral part of the children’s day to day experiences. Children are taught an understanding of different faiths and beliefs through the RE curriculum. Children within our school with different faiths are encouraged to share their practices and special celebrations. Our curriculum includes learning about a range of cultures to raise children’s awareness of different faiths, beliefs and ways of life.

Article 14: Freedom of thought and religion
“Children can choose their own thoughts, opinions and religion, but this should not stop other people from enjoying their rights. Parents can guide children so that as they grow up, they learn to properly use this right.”