British Value Statement

Promoting British Values at Raynham Primary School

Schools have a duty ‘to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation 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 its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values have been reiterated. At Raynham Primary these values are continually and regularly reinforced in the following ways:

Democracy

Each year the children decide upon their class rules and the rights associated with these. All the children contribute to the drawing up of the class rules.

We have a school council which meets at least twice a term. All the representatives are involved in the meetings and feed back to their classes after meetings. The school council have been involved in gathering opinions about school issues such as homework, charities to support and playtimes. School council leaders have been taught to implement a ‘majority rule’ when voting on particular issues.
Children are involved in making decisions about fundraising ideas and which charities should benefit from these.

The whole school community including parents, children and staff work collaboratively to support local community events such as fundraising for our local Children’s Hospice and the REACT group (local group which challenges the resources provided to meet the needs of the families in Upper Edmonton) events.

Parents have planned opportunities to voice their opinions through Parent Welcome/Coffee Mornings and regular questionnaires. The outcomes of these have been acted upon effectively, eg changes to the school website, International Day and staff being appointed to ensure that additional cleaning times were allocated to the children’s toilets.

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws, whether they are those that govern the class, the school, or the country, is consistently reinforced at Raynham Primary. Pupils are taught from an early age the rules of the school. These are our School Values, Playground Rules and Safety Rules. Pupils are taught the values 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. Expectations are reinforced regularly and opportunities are sought frequently to praise positive choices. Pupils modelling behaviour consistent with the school’s high expectations are regularly recognised and used as role models to others. This also applies to children whilst on school trips, as we have had very positive feedback from places of interest that we have visited; local transport officials and general members of the public, who have taken the trouble to contact the school. Opportunities are provided regularly for children and staff to participate or spectate in sporting activities which represent good examples of fairness, rules and etiquette in sport. Extra-curricular clubs (football, gymnastics, dance, archery) emphasise why rules and boundaries are necessary to ensure safety. FaceFront theatre group comes into school to role-play situations that reflect the challenges our students may face which impacts on their well-being. Children who have particular concerns are given the opportunity for one to one talks at the end of the performance and these concerns are passed onto the Pastoral team to follow up. The Enfield Youth Engagement Panel (EYEP) annual presentation to Year 6 children clearly spells out dangers of being in gangs and ensures that children are aware of the rule of law that can be applied. There is no longer any funding for EYEP and we are now working with the original team who have formed a company called B.SELECT to ensure that our children continue to have these experiences.

Individual Liberty

At Raynham Primary, 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, and feeling confident in themselves to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ appropriately.

Safeguarding our pupils is paramount and PSHE/e-Safety lessons aim to equip pupils with the skills to make safe choices. Children are aware of the need to use the internet safely and to feel confident in n telling their parents/teachers if they feel unsafe.

Mutual Respect

Part of our school ethos and behaviour policy revolves around core values such as ‘respect’, ‘resilience’ and ‘peace’. Children have been part of discussions and assemblies related to what these mean and how they are shown. Rewards are given for positive attitudes and behaviours and there is a weekly assembly to reward consistent effort and achievement. The school ethos and aims promote respect for others and this is reiterated through our class room rules as well as our behaviour policy. High levels of mutual respect are obvious in the school and are demonstrated daily in the excellent relationships between staff and pupils.

Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

Raynham Primary is a diverse school. We actively promote diversity through our day to day celebrations of different faiths and cultures. Religious Education and PSHE lessons reinforce messages of tolerance and respect for others. Members of different faiths and religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. The children visit places of worship that are important to different faiths. (Members of different faiths and religions within our school family are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning.) We also welcome theatre groups (FaceFront and Chickenshed) who promote messages of equality and underline the spiritual, moral, social and cultural values of groups of people around the world and within Britain. All books and other resources are vetted by Senior Leaders before being purchased to ensure that every resource reflects the ethos of our school and the learning opportunities we give our children.

May 2019