Newquay Primary Academy
British values
At Newquay Primary Academy, we value the diversity of backgrounds of all pupils, families and the wider school community. We aim to develop a variety of events and lessons to celebrate and explore these as well as discussing other cultures in our country.
The Department for Education states that there is a 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 Department for Education defines British values as follows:
- Respect for democracy and support or participation in the democratic process
- Respect for the basis on which the law is made and applies in England
- Support for equality of opportunity for all
- Support and respect for the liberties of all within the law
- Respect for and tolerance of different faiths, religions and other beliefs.
Our school aims to reflect British values in all that we do. We endeavour to nurture our learners on their journey through life so they can grow into safe, caring, democratic, responsible and tolerant adults who make a positive difference to British society and to the world. We encourage our learners to be creative, unique, open-minded and independent individuals, respectful of themselves and of others in our school, our local community and the wider world.
We expect all our learners to be good role models for each other and this is encouraged through high expectations of behaviour and our ‘Newquay Primary Academy Way’.
Through the JIGSAW (PHSE) and RE curriculums, learners are taught about the nine protected characteristics included within the Equality Act (2010) and are encouraged to discuss and respect the differences between people. This can take the form of circle time activities where all learners have the opportunity to develop their understanding of these topics as well as other areas of concern raised by the ‘pupil voice’.
As well as celebrating learners’ achievements and successes, classes are themed around the fundamental British values which align with our school ethos. They are designed to uphold traditional values of empathy, respect and tolerance and supplement the JIGSAW and RE lessons.
Democracy
We teach pupils how they can influence decision-making through the democratic process. We do this through promoting classroom discussion and debate, agreeing classroom rules, and their termly topics.
Through doing this, we teach the pupils to think critically, thoughtfully and respectfully, whilst encouraging them to be active citizens, both in school and in the wider community.
Rule of law
We aim to ensure that our school rules, values and behaviour policy are clear and fair.
In school, we teach pupils that these rules are necessary to keep them safe and create a positive learning atmosphere. We help learners to identify right from wrong and encourage them take responsibility for their choices. Through doing this, we support their understanding of living under the rule of law within the wider society which is designed to protect the rights of all individuals.
Mutual respect and tolerance
we use RE and Jigsaw (PSHE) lessons to promote respect for individual differences. We help learners to acquire an understanding and respect for their own culture and an acceptance of people from different backgrounds and beliefs in order to promote a more inclusive and diverse society.
We ensure that there is a broad and diverse curriculum that offers the opportunities for all children to reach their potential. We acknowledge that some children may have physical, emotional or social difficulties which require extra support from staff to ensure that all children can access all areas of school life. We work closely with the learners, parents and outside agencies to support all children who are in our school.
Individual liberty
Alongside rules and laws, we promote freedom of choice and the right to respectfully express views and beliefs. Through the provision of a supportive and empowering education, we provide boundaries for our young learners to make choices safely; for example:
- How they spend their playtime
- What they eat
- Their participation in extra-curricular activities.
Our learners are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are taught how to exercise these safely, such as in our e-safety lessons.