Promoting British Values at St Brigid’s RC Primary School

The DfE have 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."

At St Brigid’s these values are reinforced regularly through our mission

Kind, happy people

Flourishing, resilient learners

Playful, courageous explorers

Filled with the spirit

To be the best we can be

As shining examples of God’s love.

‘Dream it. Believe it. Achieve it.’

Our Section 48 Inspection (December 2016) found:

‘Staff demonstrate a very high level of confidence and outreach to all within the school community, recognising, valuing, respecting and celebrating diversity at all levels. The importance of the dignity of the individual is clearly evident at all levels.’

‘The school constantly strives to find ways of engaging all members of the community. Staff engage with their parents and families in a caring, respectful and dignified manner.’

Democracy

 We encourage all of our children to get involved with the running of their school and provide them with lots of opportunities to show how they can influence decision making giving them a strong voice within the school through the buddy system, Chaplaincy team and reading crew. 

 We also use pupil voice across all ages and phases in the school to ensure that they all get the opportunity to provide feedback and commentary on what works well in the school.

 This is extended to our parents who are also encouraged to participate in decision making within our school through parent forum meetings, parent surveys and parent workshops.

 Our staff are excellent role models who develop strong, respectful relationships with one another, the children and parents. We encourage an open door policy to discuss any concerns and work together to resolve them.

 Our Philosophy for learning curriculum actively encourages children to share their opinions and to value the opinions of others.

Rule of Law

 We discuss with our children the need for rules and boundaries. Laws provide us with protection, they help us to take responsibility for our actions and realise that there are consequences.

 We ensure our core values are at the heart of what we teach. Respecting one another and the world around us.   Our expectations for behaviour are clear and consistent across school. We work closely with the children so they understand their rights and their responsibilities for the choices that they make.   We promote respect for those who enforce the law and encourage a strong link with our local PCSO.

Individual Liberty

 Through our Mission statement, our four rights and four playtime rules, we encourage our children to take responsibility for their own actions but to also expect to be treated with respect and dignity from others.

•  We do not tolerate bullying of any kind and this is dealt with quickly.
•  We provide a safe and supportive environment, where our children are encouraged to be independent, resilient and reflective in their thinking and learning.
•  We provide guidance on how to make safe choices through eg: E-safety week, whole school worship, road safety, cycling proficiency, swimming tuition, our SMSC and Caritas Curriculum and our Religious Education

Mutual Respect

 Respect is a key part of our expectations for behaviour and is known and understood by all our children. Children are encouraged to demonstrate respect for everyone they meet and to respect the environment in which we live.  Children learn that how we treat one another has a direct impact on the way we in turn are treated.   If children are not showing respect for one another we encourage others to speak out and help others to see why their actions are inappropriate.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

 As a Catholic community, children are reminded of their place in a culturally diverse society. This is achieved through our Religious Education Curriculum and the spiritual life of our school.

 We actively celebrate diversity and equality. We have strong links with local schools both primary and secondary as well as links with the Missions: a school in Kibera, Kenya and Fr Pat Clarke in Sao Paulo. We participate in many events as well as creating our own eg African Day, European Day and other Faith Days.  We actively promote respect for individual differences.  Our class and whole school worships promote the diversity of society and the rights of each person to be respected and valued equally regardless of ability, gender, faith, heritage or race.  Through our expectations for behaviour we challenge prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour of any kind.  Our other faith work allows the children to compare and contrast cultures and beliefs and promotes tolerance and respect for others.