Promoting British Values

Promoting British Values at Porthleven School and Nursery

The DfE have recently reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools 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.”

The Government set out its definition of British values in the Prevent Strategy.

At Porthleven these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy

Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our Pupil Council and Pupil questionnaires.

We have a student council which meets every month with a member of staff to discuss issues raised in class council meetings. The council has its own budget and is genuinely able to effect change within the school. Every child on the student council is voted in by their class. Pupils from our school council represent the views of the school to the Trust wide student council (SKIP).

Children have an annual questionnaire where they are able to put forward their views about the school. Our school behaviour policy involves rewards which the pupils vote on as a class or house group.

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced at Porthleven.

Pupils are taught from an early age the rules of the school. These are our 5Rs, Playground

Rules and Safety Rules. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind rules and laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the Police, RNLI and Fire Service, help reinforce this message.

Individual Liberty

At Porthleven 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 young pupils to make informed choices, through a safe environment and an empowering education.  Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our eSafety and PSHE lessons.  Staff are trained as coaches and work with pupils to make them more self-reliant and independent.

Mutual Respect

Mutual respect is at the heart of our values. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community treat each other with respect.  We are a school within the Southerly Point Cooperative Education Trust and as such promote the values of  Self- help, Self- responsibility, Democracy, Equality, Equity and Solidarity. This is achieved through assemblies, displays and class discussions.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

Porthleven School is not an ethnically diverse school. Therefore we actively promote diversity through our celebrations of different faiths and cultures. Religious Education lessons and PSHE lessons reinforce messages of tolerance and respect for others. Our multicultural pages on our website illustrate our commitment to exploring diversity in the United Kingdom. The children visit places of worship that are important to different faiths where this is not possible we seek to invite members of different faiths and religions encouraged into school to share their knowledge and enhance learning within classes and the school. At Porthleven School we will actively challenge pupils, staff or parents expressing opinions contrary to fundamental British Values, including ‘extremist’ views.