At Lever House Primary School, we value the diversity of the backgrounds of all pupils, families and the wider school community and strongly believe in upholding British values through all aspects of our school provision.

The DofE 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 has introduced a statutory duty for schools to promote British Values more actively from September 2014, and to ensure they are taught in schools.

What is meant by British values?

All schools are required by law to promote the fundamental British values of:

• democracy
• the rule of law
• individual liberty
• mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

We ensure that the fundamental British Values are introduced, discussed and lived out through the ethos and work of the school. All curriculum areas provide a vehicle for furthering understanding of these concepts and, in particular, RE, PSHE and Assemblies provide opportunities to deepen and develop understanding. We encourage our children 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 aim to nurture our children 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.

How we help our children prepare for adult life as citizens of Britain?

• Develop their self-confidence and self esteem.
• Develop their understanding of right and wrong, and their respect for the law.
• Encourage them to take responsibility for their behaviour.
• Develop a full understanding and encourage involvement in their immediate community, the country and the wider world.
• Encourage respect for the public services and institutions of Britain.
• Promote tolerance of and respect for all cultures and faiths.
• Encourage participation in the democratic process.
• Develop in them a growth mindset, ensuring they are resilient, determined, ambitious, children. 

How does our school develop children’s understanding of British values?

We uphold the British value of democracy by:

• facilitating a democratic process for electing school councillors and the running of the council.
• teaching about the democratic process in Britain, at both a local and national level. We teach about communities and groups, how children can participate in these and make changes to life at all levels from local to global.
• Explore the history of democracy and it’s role in different societies.
• Encourage debate through a range of topics across our curriculum.
• Learn about Parliament and where possible take a group to visit in London*

We uphold the British value of the rule of law by:

• implementing our class charters which have clear and agreed statements, and ensuring that the children know their own right and respect the rights of others.
• teaching children to learn about the process of law-making and the part that citizens can play in that process.
• implementing our procedures and protocols for dealing with any behavioural or bullying issues (including the very rare incidents of racial, homophobic and other forms of discrimination) which demonstrates to pupils that we take these issues very seriously, mirroring the attitudes of British society.
• Meet members of the local policing team and make visits to the law courts*

We uphold the British value of individual liberty and work to identify and combat discrimination by:

• teaching an understanding of the concept of freedom and choice.
• teaching our RE curriculum and PSHE curriculum, which embeds values of understanding, tolerance and respect for others, including those of other faiths.
• teaching children an understanding of human rights, in particular the UNICEF rights of the child, through assemblies and class lessons.
• providing our extra-curricular provision, which offers equal opportunities for all children, boys and girls, and children with Special Educational Needs in a wide range of areas including sports and the arts.
• holding discussions throughout the curriculum, which allow children to develop respect for the opinions, values and beliefs of others.
• Use ‘Agree; Build; Challenge’ respectfully in class when taking part in discussions
• Pupils can volunteer and train to be Librarians, Anti-Bullying Ambassadors, School Councillors, iLeaders and Buddies (lunch or playtime)
• deliver regular information about keeping safe on the internet to all our children and holding information sessions for parents about this (including through NOS).

We uphold the British value of mutual respect and tolerance of those with different beliefs by:

• expecting children to responsibility in many ways in school including being playground and lunchtime buddies.
• encouraging children to have responsibility for their own possessions, behaviour and learning, both at school and at home and to always do their personal best in all aspects of school life.
• Use ‘Agree; Build; Challenge’ respectfully in class when taking part in discussions
• learning about many British festivals and special events, e.g. Remembrance Day, November 5th, Christmas, Easter, World Book Day, Children in Need, Red-nose day etc.
• Links and visits are promoted with local faith communities and places of worship. E.g. Members of different faiths or religions are invited to school to share their knowledge and enhance learning within assemblies and in class.

At Lever House Primary School we will actively challenge pupils, staff or parents expressing opinions contrary to fundamental British Values, including ‘extremist’ views.

• Read about the Prevent Strategy and British Values