British Values at Ryhill

British Values

At Ryhill Junior, Infant and Nursery School, our aim is to ensure children become valuable and fully rounded members of society who treat others with respect and tolerance, regardless of their background. To this end, we promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs. We want to ensure our pupils understand the importance of respect and leave school fully prepared, both personally and socially, for life in modern Britain.

What are ‘fundamental British Values’?

Schools are required to provide for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of their pupils. As part of this requirement, schools are expected to actively promote fundamental British values.

The government defines these as:

• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs

What does this mean for my child?

Schools’ programmes for learning about fundamental British values are designed to prepare children and young people for life in modern Britain. This includes helping pupils understand:

• The importance of combatting discrimination
• How we can influence decision making by taking part in democratic processes like voting and petitioning
• Our freedom under British law to choose different faiths and beliefs
• That the law is there to keep us safe

What does this look like in our school?

At Ryhill School we have worked tirelessly to ensure that Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural (SMSC) aspects of learning which promote the development of fundamental British Values are at the heart of our curriculum and school ethos.

Our SCARF curriculum contributes significantly to this aim by promoting health and wellbeing across the school community within a robust PSHE framework.  Within this context, it contributes significantly to British Values in their broadest sense both explicitly and implicitly. To see how fundamental British Values are planned and taught throughout our SCARF curriculum, please see the overview of individual lessons below.

As a school we value and celebrate being part of Britain. In general terms, this means that we celebrate traditions and customs throughout the year; including, Harvest Festival, Remembrance Day, Easter services and Christmas celebrations! We also value and celebrate national, charity and sporting events.

Learning about being part of Britain is also part of our wider school curriculum. In Geography and History, we ensure that the children have a better understanding of what Britain is, learning more about:

• capital cities and countries, rivers and mountains
• the local area and community
• how ‘Great Britain’ differs from ‘England’ and ‘the United Kingdom’; where Britain is in relation to the rest of Europe and other countries in the world
• British history, Monarchs, rulers and significant events that defined society

Each week across school we also look forward to our Picture News sessions. Picture news allows children across school to be aware of our wider world and acquire new skills of reflecting on things that we might never have thought about or experienced before. All children are encouraged to form their own opinions about each topic. We link these ideas closely with British Values and learn about life in modern Britain. Each week we are introduced to thought-provoking, open-ended questions, linked to current events and British values to allow us to relate to the wider world around us.

Alongside our curriculum design, British Values are promoted at Ryhill through:

• Our school’s motto “Together we can achieve” encourages mutual respect for all.
• Our Skills Builder curriculum ensure that children have the opportunity to develop the skills needed to be successful and positive members of the school and wider community both now and in the future.
• Election of the School Council members reflects our British electoral system and demonstrates democracy in action.
• Our behaviour policy, reward system and Golden Rules teach pupils the value and reasons behind laws and rules that govern and protect us.
• Our children have opportunities to develop individual liberty and mutual respect through chances to take on important roles and responsibilities such as being part of the Junior Leadership Team, Sports Leaders and Junior Receptionists to name a few.
• Our School Charters give all pupils at Ryhill the opportunity to experience a wide range of activities whilst inspiring them to realise their full potential and help shape their futures.