Fundamental British Values

• Democracy
• Rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths.

Democracy

At Ganneys everyone is treated equally and has equal rights. We support children’s personal, social and emotional development (PSED) by giving them opportunities to develop their self-confidence and self-awareness, to make choices and decisions about what they want to explore and how they’re going to use the resources that we have made accessible to them.

An example of this in our practice may be when two children are using a resource in a different away and they are then supported to share their ideas together, take turns, collaborate and make decisions together. These are essential skills to develop now and for later life.

Rule of law

The rule of law is about children learning that rules matter. Our nurturing approach to personal, social and emotional development ensures that children learn to understand this element of British Values. They learn to manage their own feelings and behaviour as part of their day to day work in class as scenarios occur and children are supported to manage them by the staff. This includes learning right from wrong, behaving within agreed and clearly defined boundaries and where necessary dealing with the consequences. Our class rules are age and stage appropriate so that they are accessible for all and the children are supported to understand them.

Individual Liberty

This value is embedded in the work that we do on the development of our children’s personal, social and emotional understanding alongside that of the wider world. To promote the value of individual liberty we focus on children’s self-confidence, self-awareness and their understanding of the diversity of people and communities. This begins with supporting children to have a positive sense of themselves and we encourage them to develop confidence in their own abilities.

Each week/ fortnight we have a core story which our adult focus activities and experiences are planned around. With each new story, children are encouraged to explore the language of feelings and responsibility. Through this work they develop their own opinions and we encourage them to share them with others and understand that we are all free to have different opinions. Demonstrating mutual respect for one another and our opinions is built into this ongoing work.

Mutual Respect and Tolerance

Mutual respect and tolerance is where we learn to treat others as we wish to be treated. We also learn how to be part of our school and wider community. To do this, children are supported in managing their feelings and behaviour which helps them to form appropriate relationships with their peers and adults. It is our job to help children to appreciate and respect their own culture and the culture of others.

We can help them to explore similarities and differences between themselves and others; among families, faiths, communities, cultures and traditions; and to share and discuss practices, celebrations and experiences.

Adults in our school lead by example and are strong and positive role models for our children. Being a role model isn’t quite enough. Remember the old Confucian proverb: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” Children need to have opportunities to practice tolerance and to challenge stereotypes and this is explored through our work in school.