British Values

At Collingwood Primary School we uphold and teach all pupils about British Values which are defined as:

• Democracy

• Rule of Law

• Individual Liberty

• Mutual Respect

• Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

These values are taught explicitly through Personal, Social, Health and Economics (PSHE), Spiritual, Moral, Social & Cultural Education (SMSC) and Religious Education (RE). We also teach British Values through planning and delivering a broad and balanced curriculum.

We actively promote British Values throughout daily life in school through assemblies, collective worship and whole school systems, including the selection and running of the school council and Eco Warriors. We strongly believe every person matters and celebrate what makes us unique. We also actively promote British Values through ensuring that our curriculum planning and delivery includes real opportunities for exploring these values. Actively promoting British Values also means challenging pupils, staff or parents expressing opinions contrary to fundamental British Values.

At Collingwood Primary School, these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy:

Democracy is an important value at our school. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council. The elections of members of the School Council are based on pupil nominations for both a Class Councillor and a Vice. The children have worked together to produce our child-friendly version of our school Safeguarding Policy.

Pupil questionnaires and interviews also contribute to pupil voice throughout the year.

The Rule of Law:

Our lives are governed by rules and laws and these are consistently reinforced through each school day. Each class has their own agreed set of rules which align to our School Values and our system for behaviour management and include attending school regularly and on time. The children are aware of the positive impact of following them or encouraged to reflect when these are broken. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities include the Police, Fire Service and Lifeguards, are regular parts of our calendar to help reinforce this message.

Individual Liberty:

Pupils are actively encouraged to make choices at our school, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. We encourage pupils to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and planned curriculum. We also support them to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to implement these safely, for example through our e-Safety teaching and PSHE lessons. Pupils are given the freedom to make choices, e.g. signing up for extracurricular clubs,  selecting the level of challenge in some lessons and are becoming increasingly more involved in delivering and participating in child-led assemblies. 

​Mutual Respect:

Part of our school values is ‘respect’ and this value helps shape how we go about our everyday lives at Collingwood. Children and adults alike, including visitors, are challenged if they are disrespectful in any way. Values are visible around the school and can be seen in posters, certificates and as part of our agreed behaviour policy. We value and celebrate the achievements of everyone with a special Star assembly every Friday and in our daily interactions. Every pupil knows that we respect and appreciate each other no matter what differences may exist. 

Tolerance of Those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:

At Collingwood we place a strong emphasis on promoting diversity in our school. This is achieved through enhancing pupils’ understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity in our local community. Assemblies and discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in RE and PSHE. We celebrate ‘European Day of Languages’ as a whole school encouraging children to discover differences and similarities between British and our EAL (English as an Additional language) peers. We believe that tolerance is gained through knowledge and understanding and both children and staff are supported to challenge behaviour that is discriminatory or prejudicial.