British Values

At St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, we dedicate ourselves to serving our community and local area and are committed to ‘Making a difference’ to the lives of others. In so doing we continuously reinforce British values.

The Government emphasises that schools are required to ensure that key ‘British Values’ are taught in all UK schools. The government set out its definition of British values in the ‘Prevent Strategy’ – values of:

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

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The DfE have recently 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.”

‍Democracy

All children (from Reception to Year 6) have a Pupil Leadership role. At St Joseph’s we have the following Pupil Leadership Groups: Anti-Bullying Ambassadors, Pupil Parliament, Sports Leaders, Stewardship Stars, Artists in Residence, Chaplaincy and Community Choir. This means that all children have many opportunities for their voices to be heard.

The Rule of Law

The importance of Laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies. 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 such as the Police help reinforce this message.

Individual Liberty

Within the school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young pupils to make choices safely, through provision of a safe environment and empowering education.  Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons and visits from our local PCSOs. Whether it be through choice of learning challenge, of how they record, or participation in our extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices.

Mutual Respect

Mutual respect is at the heart of our values. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community treat each other with respect and our RE and PSHE teaching further reinforce this.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

At St Joseph’s, we endeavour to broaden pupil’s knowledge and promote diversity within the school. Assemblies are regularly planned to address this issue either directly or through the inclusion of stories and celebrations from a variety of faiths and cultures. Our RE and PSHE teaching reinforce this. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school.

The school uses strategies within the National curriculum and beyond to secure such outcomes for pupils. Here are some examples of when British values are shared:

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Curriculum

Our curriculum prepares children for life in British Society; this includes developing the understanding and use of money, effective reading and writing skills, collaboration and discussion to research ideas and concepts. Our curriculum includes historical and geographical study in the context of the United Kingdom as well as national and international comparisons.  We use Kapow to provide pupils with strong, knowledge-based learning. Visitors are also invited into the school- We have visits from  our local PSCO and a local Police officer who have all helped to reinforce messages about individual liberty, mutual respect and the law.

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Daily acts of collective worship/ whole school assembly

Our assemblies promote our TenTen PSHE and British Values.

Our school SHINE values are embedded in our ethos and behaviour policy.

Our Friday assemblies celebrate pupil’s achievement from the week and reflect on how they have worked towards achieving one of the school values.

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‍PSHE

Mutual respect is also taught within PSHE and RE lessons and in an informal nature throughout the school days. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety policy and PSHE work on keeping myself safe.

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RE

Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs is promoted in RE as children gain a greater understanding of religious diversity and practices for those religions represented in the UK. Other religions including Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism are also incorporated throughout the Curriculum.

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PE

Promotion of the concept of “fair play”, following and developing rules, celebrating and rewarding success, building resilience and perseverance, accepting defeat and participating in activities that promote cooperation with others and inclusion for all form an integral part of the PE curriculum.
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Involvement in key local and National events:

At St Joseph’s we are passionate about supporting local events. These include the Devizes Carnival, Lantern Parade, Christmas Tree Festival, Wiltshire Primary Dance Festival, Mayor’s Carol Concert and leading a Family Mass every month.

Each year Remembrance Day is marked by a special Service and children are encouraged to reflect on the day.

The curriculum supports pupils to be well-rounded young people who have the confidence to make a difference to their community and beyond –Ofsted 2022