British Values

Teaching of British Values at Wisborough Green Primary School 

In 2014 the Department for Education (DfE) published guidance on promoting British values in schools to ensure young people leave school prepared for life in modern Britain. This reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation to 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.” At Wisborough Green Primary School, these values are promoted and embedded within our curriculum and are underpinned by our seven core values. 

Democracy                 

From Early Years through to Year 6, all pupils decide upon and contribute to their class rules and the rights associated with these. Each year we hold our ‘Democracy Day’, whereby all of the children are given the opportunity to stand for important roles and responsibilities within the school. Each class votes democratically for who they wish to represent their year group after listening to individual speeches and presentations about reasons why the class should vote for them. Year 5 also find out about how district councils work and meet a local Councillor. Year 6 learn about national politics and the Houses of Parliament. 

Key Roles Within Our School Include: 

• Ambassadors
• Sports Captains and Leaders
• School Council 
• Learning Council 
• Eco Warriors 
• Library Monitors 
• Digital Leaders 

All pupils who are voted to represent their year, have the responsibility to voice their own and the opinion of others, meet regularly as a group and provide feedback to the rest of their class.   

The Rule of Law                                                                   

At Wisborough Green Primary School, we want our pupils to understand the importance of following rules. Our pupils will encounter many different rules and laws within their education, in other settings

and throughout their lives. It is important for our children to understand that whether these rules are governed by their class, the school, the community or the country, they are set for important reasons and must be adhered to.  The involvement of our children in creating our school rules allows them to understand the reasons behind the rules and why they are so important. This is reinforced through assemblies and throughout our curriculum.

Individual Liberty  

Pupils are actively encouraged to make choices every day at school in all curriculum areas, knowing that

they are in a safe and supportive environment to do so. All children are taught to understand and how to exercise their individual rights and personal freedoms safely, through our E-Safety, PSHCE lessons and other curriculum areas. 

Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those with Different Faiths and Beliefs 

At Wisborough Green Primary School, respect is one of our core values and underpins all that we do. We treat each other with kindness and consideration, valuing and accepting our differences. Pupils learn to treat all members of our school, each other, staff and the wider community, with respect. Our Buddy System allows our children to support one another, build mutual respect and care for one another.  

This is embedded within the teaching of PSHCE by promoting diverse attitudes and challenging stereotypes. We actively promote diversity through our celebrations of different faiths and cultures through the teaching of Religious Education. Both subject areas reinforce messages of tolerance and respect for others and we regularly include opportunities to learn about people from different backgrounds into our curriculum planning.  We take part in lots of different festivals and carry out activities, visits and celebrations for example Diwali, Harvest, Eid and Easter. 

Please see the following links that help explain the idea of voting to children:-
Sesame Street
Parliament for kids