British Values

At St Joseph’s Primary School, we promote ‘British Values’ through our spiritual, moral, social and cultural education and our distinctly Catholic ethos, which permeates through the schools’ curriculum and supports the development of the ‘whole child’. We recognise that such development is most successful when those values and attitudes are promoted by all the staff and provide a model of behaviour for our pupils.

“We want every school to promote the basic British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs.” Lord Nash

Promoting British Values at St. Josephs’ School
British Value What we do How we do it
Democracy
  • Ensure that everyone has a right to have a say
  • Ensure the child’s, parent’s and staff’s voice is heard
  • Support children to take turns
  • Encourage children to share
  • Support children to become independent and take responsibility
  • Support children to learn boundaries
  • Give children the opportunities to make choices
  • Promote a climate to share opinions and ideas
  • Ensure that children are listened to
  • Respect everyone as an individual
  • Role model behaviour
  • Celebrate differences in people
  • Support children to have a positive sense of their own identity and culture
  • Pupil Voice
  • School Council – children voting for their class representative
  • Pupil Questionnaires
  • Parent Questionnaires
  • Staff Questionnaires
  • Friends’ of St Joseph’s
  • Staff Meetings / Briefings
  • Appraisal / Review meetings.
  • School Mission Statement
  • School Behaviour Policy
  • Religious Education Lessons
  • Cross Curricular Speaking and Listening opportunities.
  • Faith Ambassadors/ House Captains / Junior Leadership Team
  • Assemblies that emphases the commandment – to love
    your neighbour as yourself
  • Visitors to school i.e. MP, local councillors
  • Lenten / Advent Charity Work
Rule of Law
  • Support children to understand right and wrong
  • Support children’s understanding of how the law of the land and our school rules reflect the 10 Commandments
  • Share and support the rules with all stakeholders
  • To ensure children have an understanding of the consequences of their actions
  • Ensure there is no discrimination within the setting 
  • Ensure that any discrimination identified is addressed
  • Ensure children have a sense of fairness
  • Listen to the child’s voice when deciding the rules and boundaries
  • The children agree class rules based on the ‘School Rules’ School Behaviour Policy put together with and shared with all stakeholders – also on the website.
  • Pupil Voice
  • Circle time / Religious Education Lessons / Sacrament of Reconciliation.
  • Children encouraged to take responsibility for their own actions.
  • System of ‘Restorative Justice’.
  • Safeguarding / Anti-bullying / SEND policies.
  • Behaviour log / Bullying log / Racist incidents log.
  • School Council
  • School Assemblies on the theme of fairness / discrimination
  • Anti-Bullying week
  • Visitors to school – people who help us.
  • Home / School Agreements
Individual Liberty
  • Plan for individual children
  • Ensure all information about the child progress and development is shared with both child and parents.
  • Ensure children have access to resources
  • Support the rights of the child
  • Support children to make the right choices
  • Listen to everyone’s point of view
  • Ensure all stakeholders are considerate of others and the environment 
  • Mission Statement
  • RE Curriculum – encouraging children to respect both themselves and others
  • Encouraging good listening skills
  • Pupil Voice
  • Differentiation in planning / teaching
  • Encouraging the children to be independent and reflective learners
  • ILP’s, Medical plans etc
  • Parents / Pupil Meetings
  • Reports to parents
  • Behaviour Policy
  • Anti-bullying policy
  • Safeguarding Policy
  • Single Equality Scheme
  • Home School Agreement
  • School Website
  • Encouraging an understanding of the rights of the child through CAFOD, NSPCC and Childline – and visits from them. 
Mutual Respect
  • Provide opportunities to consult parents
  • Work together as a team respecting each other
  • Ensure parents are involved in their children’s learning
  • Provide positive role models
  • Value individuality
  • Value all cultures and beliefs
  • Respect all languages
  • Respect each other’s space
  • Ensure all stakeholders feel safe and secure
  • Provide Positive Role models – adults and children good behaviour
  • RE Lessons emphasising that every person is unique and ‘crated in the image of God’
  • Mission Statement
  • Parents’ Focus Groups
  • Pupil questionnaires
  • Parent questionnaires
  • Learning about other faiths and Learning about other cultures - Geography
  • Celebrations – such as International Week, Black History Month
  • Celebration Assemblies
  • Gospel and Values Assemblies Celebrating festivals of other Links with local and deanery schools
  • Charity work
  • Website
  • Ethos / vision statement
  • Displays around the school
  • Stories
  • Circle time 
Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
  • Combat discrimination through awareness
  • Ensure ethos reflects an awareness of all cultures and beliefs 
  • Having a knowledge and understanding of other cultures and beliefs
  • Celebrate diversity within and outside our school
  • Role model behaviour and attitudes towards others 
  • Encourage all parental input in our school
  • Mission Statement
  • Assemblies – i.e. anti- bullying, Gospel Assemblies based on how Jesus encouraged tolerance in such stories as the’ Good Samaritan’ and the ‘Woman at the Well’
  • Assemblies other faith / festivals
  • PSHE lesson relationships / living in the wider world
  • Class discussions
  • Class debates
  • Study of other faiths in RE lessons
  • Retreat Days
  • Wow days included in Topic e.g. India / around the world
  • Pupil voice
  • Encourage other faiths to share their prayer rituals through our Prayer Bags.
  • Displays around the school
  • Challenge all forms of lack of knowledge – understanding discrimination / prejudice.