The Department for Education has published guidance on promoting British values in schools to ensure young people leave school prepared for life in modern Britain.

All schools have a duty to ‘actively 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.

 

Democracy

'Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers.'

Aristotle

At Aldersbrook, we ensure all pupils within the school have a voice that is listened to. We do this through worry boxes in every room. through pupil surveys, through PSHE, School Parliament and through having school Ambassadors. We demonstrate how democracy works by actively promoting democratic processes such as our School Parliament representatives.

 

The Rule of Law

'Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice'

Martin Luther King

The importance of laws whether they are those that govern the class, the school or the country, are consistently reinforced at Aldersbrook.  Our school has ‘Golden Rules’, which are deeply embedded in our work every day in and out of the classroom. They are to be Ready, Respectful and Safe. Our pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken.

 

Individual Liberty

'What light is to the eyes - what air is to the lungs - what love is to the heart, liberty is to the soul of man.'

Robert Green Ingersoll

Our children are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment.  As a school we provide boundaries for our pupils to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and empowering learning.  Our children are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely; examples of this can be clearly seen in our e-safety and P.S.H.E. lessons. Whether it is through choice of challenge; of how they record; of participation in our numerous extra- curricular activities -  our pupils are given the freedom to make choices. This supports them in developing their leadership qualities for the future.

 

Mutual Respect

“The only true disability is the inability to accept and respect differences.”

Respect is one of the core values of our school and it is deeply embedded in all that we do at the school, including being a main feature of our behaviour expectations.  The pupils know and understand that it is expected and imperative that respect is shown to everyone - old and young, whatever differences we may have and to everything, however big or small.  The core value of respect underpins our work every day both in and out of the classroom and in and out of the school.The school has a leader who oversees Equality and Diversity to ensure that this is prominent in all we do.

 

Tolerance of Those With Different Faiths And Beliefs

'The highest result of education is tolerance.'
Helen Keller

This is closely linked to having mutual respect for all. Aldersbrook Primary School enhances pupils understanding of different faiths and beliefs through religious education studies; PSHE work; visits to places of worship; welcoming visitors from other schools and communities and enjoying a depth of study during themed weeks.   Beliefs, traditions and customs are studied in depth, with visitors being invited in to our school to enrich and extend our children's and our community's understanding.  Through this our pupils gain a deep understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and of their place in our global community.