As of November 2014, schools have had a statutory duty to promote British values. At Burneston, we do this through our SMSC/PSHE curriculum and, indeed, the wider curriculum too. We have listed a few general ways in which we promote British Values below. For concrete examples of how we promote British Values, click here.
Promoting Individual Liberty
At Burneston, are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights, responsibilities and personal freedoms and receive advice about how to exercise these safely. Whether it be through choice of level of challenge, how to answer a question or which extra-curricular opportunity to choose, pupils are encouraged and given the freedom to make a choice and are supported in living with it. We aim to give our children the tools to evaluate the society in which they live and to make informed, independent choices.
Promoting Democracy
At Burneston, we value and respect our children’s views. We put our pupils at the centre of the school community and learning. Through our active school council, children can have a definite say in how they would like our school to develop, for example: helping to shape how they learn, developing the playground and contributing to the appointment of new teachers.
Promoting 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 values and reasons behind rules, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when rules are broken. Visits from outside agencies such as the Police and Fire Service and to regular ‘Crucial Crew’ events help reinforce this message. In September 2018, we renewed our school rules for Behaviour by incorporating 6 ‘Golden Rules’ alongside our 8 Christian Values.
Mutual respect
Respect is at the core of our school ethos and is modelled by pupils and staff alike. The school promotes respect for others and this is reiterated through our policies and practices. In line with our commitment to democracy, children at Burneston are always able to voice their opinions and listen to each other. We foster an environment where pupils feel safe to disagree with each other.
Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
At Burneston this is achieved through equipping pupils with the ability to understand their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity within the school community. We ensure that pupils learn about the main faiths represented in modern Britain and plan for visits and experience of other cultures and languages.
