British Values at West Minster Primary
At West Minster Primary we promote British Values through our school ethos, curriculum and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. We strive to ensure that through our every day activities we promote an understanding of the importance of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of different beliefs and faiths.
Democracy
At West Minster Primary School we promote democracy by listening to the views of the children and we do this through a variety of means, including:
- Pupil voice surveys
- Circle time
- A school council of elected members
- Playground Buddies and Care Bears
- A strong element of team work
- Debates where children are encouraged to express their view point and listen to the views of others respectively
- Children taking the initiative in aspects of the school such as charitable appeals and fund raising
The Rule of Law
Our school encourages children to have a good understanding of The Rule of Law in order for them to understand the importance of behaving in an appropriate way. Classes have a set of class rules or a class contract that promotes the well-being of the individual and the school as a whole. These rules include listening to others, sharing and playing safely, learning in an ordered environment and trying our best. We hope that by following these rules and by adhering to the school’s values that our children will adopt an element of responsibility and understanding of consequences when rules are broken.
Individual Liberty
Within school, our children are encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we provide boundaries for young children to make choices safely. Children develop self-respect and value themselves as individuals. Our school ethos, and methods of teaching develop children’s independence, as well as other qualities such as perseverance and resilience. At West Minster we try to encourage children to celebrate the memory of those individuals who have struggled for liberty. A good example of this is when we celebrate Black History Month in October.
Mutual Respect
Respect is a core value of our school and underpins our ethos. Respect is shown by all adults and children towards each other and our community. Pupils take part in discussions and assemblies related to what this means and how it is shown. Posters around the school promote monthly values and this is reiterated through our classroom and learning rules, as well as our behaviour policy. Our strong well-being team promote the value of respect in a lot of the work they do with individuals and groups of children throughout the year. Our monthly values are heavily linked and together ensure that children appreciate the importance of being a responsible and respectful member of our school and wider community.
Tolerance Of Those With Different Beliefs
Through Religious Education, PSHE and Values, we deepen children’s understanding of faith and belief. Each year group follows the Kent Agreed Syllabus for RE which allows children to explore questions related to religion. E.g. What do people believe about God? As a school we celebrate a religion each month and welcome leaders of different faiths in to our school. We celebrate religious festivals and celebration days such as World Religion Day in January. We also display artefacts from the three main religions of the children who attend our school: Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.
Through work in PSHE or Values, the children are encouraged to think about their own values and are taught to show respect for both their own values and beliefs, as well as those of others.