British Values
The statement below outlines how Boxford School respects and promotes the core values of our society.
British values are promoted in so much of what we do, not least during our school assemblies, Religious Education and our PHSE programme. The values are integral to our ethos statement which complements British values and always has done.
As well as actively promoting British values, the opposite also applies: we would actively challenge pupils, staff or parents expressing opinions contrary to fundamental British values, including ‘extremist’ views.
Below are just a few examples of how we promote British values.
Being part of Britain
As a school, we value and celebrate the diverse heritages of everybody at Boxford. Alongside this, we value and celebrate being part of Britain. In general terms, this means that we celebrate traditions, such as customs in the course of the year; for example, Harvest festival and the Christmas Nativity during the Autumn term and an Easter service in our local church in the Spring term.
Further, children learn about being part of Britain from different specific perspectives. Two specific examples of when we teach about being part of Britain are:
Geographically: Through our carefully planned schemes of work children learn about:
- its capital cities, counties and other geographical features such as its rivers and mountains
- where Britain is in relation to the rest of Europe and other countries in the world
Historically: Through our history units we study aspects of our past and how this has developed our country from Early Man to the Second World War. Every year we take part in the remembrance activities encouraging our children to learn about the sacrifices made by our recent ancestors.
Children are taught about their role in society and the need to care for others through our support of a number of charities including Children in Need, Red Nose Day, sponsorship of a local RDA pony and distributing harvest gifts to members of the local community.
Rules and laws
The importance of rules and laws, whether they be those that govern our school or our country, are referred to and reinforced often, such as in assemblies and when reflecting on behaviour choices. At the start of the school year, each class discusses and sets its own set of class rules (Code of Conduct), a set of principles that are clearly understood by all and seen to be necessary to ensure that every class member is able to learn in a safe and ordered environment.
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. These values are reinforced in different ways:
- visits from authorities such as the police and fire service
- during Religious Education, when rules for particular faiths are thought about
- during other school subjects, where there is respect and appreciation for different rules – in a sports lesson, for example
Individual liberty
Alongside rules and laws, we promote freedom of choice and the right to respectfully express views and beliefs. Through the provision of a safe, supportive environment and empowering education, we provide boundaries for our young pupils to make choices safely; for example:
- choices about learning challenges or activities
- choices about how they record their learning
- choices around the participation in extra-curricular activities
Our pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are taught how to exercise these safely, such as in our e-safety and PHSE lessons.
Respect for Others
Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
Boxford is not in an area which is particularly culturally diverse so through units of work children learn to develop an understanding of and respect for a wide range of religious values, languages and cultural traditions and different ways of life. We actively promote respect for everyone and everything.
Our pupils know and understand that it is expected and imperative that respect is shown to everyone, whatever differences we may have, and to everything, whether it is a school resource, a religious belief or whatever. Children learn that their behaviour choices have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community should treat each other with respect.
Through Religious Education children develop an awareness and appreciation of other cultures – in English children learn about other faiths and cultures through fiction and in Art by considering cultures from other parts of the world.
Specially planned themed activity days further enhance children’s understanding. Recent events have been a languages day and an African drumming workshop.