British Values at New Waltham Academy
At New Waltham Academy, we promote fundamental British values through our ethos, the curriculum, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and through our work towards being a UNICEF Rights Respecting School. We reinforce and promote British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs as demonstrated below:
Mutual Respect and Tolerance
UNCRC Article 2 Every child has the right to be treated equally and with respect
Article 14 Every child has the right to practice their own religion
Article 29 Every child has the right to an education
Article 30 Every child has the right to practice their own culture
At the heart of our whole school ethos is a commitment to our social values project – a set of core attitudes that we believe contribute to individuals being able to live happy and successful lives within the communities to which they belong. Each monthly value is chosen to underpin the need for mutual respect between our pupils and their peers, staff, their families and their wider community. Our Values are taught through assemblies and HE sessions and form a key part of our daily dialogue across school. Each month, a values letter for parents and children is sent home, sharing what the value is, how we can demonstrate this value and what it means. There is also a monthly “Role Model” award – teachers will be invited to nominate a person who they consider to be a model of one or more of the school values. The recipient will receive a ‘Good Role Model’ badge and their photograph will be displayed in the school hall. Respect is promoted across school and it is deeply embedded in all that we do at the school. The pupils know and understand that it is expected and imperative that respect is shown to everyone, whatever differences we may have and to everything, however big or small. Our values are displayed in the school hall along with our staff’s key values. Every member of staff and governor have stated a value which is important to them and this is displayed in the school hall.
Within RE, using the enquiry method means that children are discussing issues in RE that some adults may find uncomfortable. For example, in Year 4, children consider whether forgiveness is always possible for Christians. Discovery RE which is the scheme we use as a vehicle for our RE teaching states ‘Through learning about faith practices and really investigating what they mean for the individuals, children are encouraged to develop mutual respect and tolerance but also to develop critical thinking skills enabling them to question and discuss beliefs and the ways they might be manifested. They are also enabled, through their knowledge, to challenge ideas about religion and spot intolerance when they see it amongst their community and in the media’
Democracy
UNCRC Article 12 Every child has the right to be heard
Article 2 Every child has the right to be treated equally and with respect
Our pupils are given lots of opportunity to develop their understanding of democracy. As well as learning about the historical context through exciting project based learning, they also get to experience it for themselves. Pupils are always listened to by adults and are taught to listen carefully and with concern to each other, respecting the right of every individual to have their opinions and voices heard. Pupils also have the opportunity to air their opinions and ideas through our New Waltham Academy School Council, pupil voice activities and regular questionnaires. The elections of the School Council member are based solely on pupil votes, reflecting our British electoral system and demonstrating democracy in action. In addition we organize visits to the local council, Houses of Parliament and hold ‘hot air debates’ and ‘mock elections’ so pupils learn how to argue and defend points of view. New Waltham Academy is also working towards the UNICEF Respecting the Rights of the Child award
Individual Liberty
UNCRC Article 19 Every child has the right to be protected from harm
Article 12 Every child has the right to be heard
Article 2 Every child has the right to be treated equally and with respect
Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for our pupils to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and an empowering education. We support pupils to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence. Our pupils 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 HE lessons. We implement a strong anti-bullying culture through our values project and children making the right choices. Our children are given the freedom to make choices in a variety of ways. For example, they have choice of challenge in lessons (bronze, silver and gold), participation in our range of extra-curricular clubs, music lessons and what food option they would like for lunch every day.
Rule Of Law
UNCRC Article 19 Every child has the right to be protected from harm
Article 1 Every child has the right to be treated equally and with respect
Article 29 Every child has the right to an education
The importance of laws whether they are those that govern the class, the school or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout our school day; through lessons, assemblies, religious education, physical education, behaviour management and when pupils are devising class charters during their transition week. Through their involvement in creating our rules, pupils develop an understanding of the reasons behind them, and the consequences if they are broken. We encourage our pupils to distinguish right from wrong and help pupils to understand that living under the rule of law protects individuals. Visits from the Police, Fire Service, NSPCC etc. also help to reinforce our messages. Our restorative justice approach helps us to resolve conflicts. The importance of laws and rules is consistently reinforced. The Rule of Law is embedded within our RE curriculum. As stated in Discovery RE, Children are encouraged to think about the laws, commandments, expectations within a faith and how those rules would impact on their own lives as well as on the lives of the people within those religions. In Year 2, the enquiry, ‘Does praying at regular intervals every day help a Muslim in his/her daily life?’ gives the opportunity to explore the expectations and ritual surrounding prayer. The Year 4 enquiry, ‘Is forgiveness always possible?’ focus on Jesus allowing himself to be condemned under the law of his land.