British Values

Promoting British Values at Waddesdon Village Primary School

The Department for Education state 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 government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy and these values were reiterated by the Prime Minister in 2014. At Waddesdon Village Primary School these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways.

Democracy; a respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic process

Pupil Parliament; each year each class decides by vote which 2 children they wish to have on Pupil Parliament.

Pupil Parliament meet at least once a half term to discuss school improvement and issues that have been raised. They are able to affect change within the school.

Children have a yearly questionnaire where they are able to put forward their views about the school. 

House Captains; each year, pupils in Year 6 stand for House Captain. The House Captain and Vice Captain are voted for by their peers. 

Playground Buddies; the playground buddies are trained to support all children in the school during break and lunch times.

Eco Monitors; these pupils are voted for by the KS2 pupils and have the responsibility of ensuring the school is ‘eco-friendly’. We try to recycle and minimise our waste. We ensure all lights and computers are turned off, windows are closed if the heating is on to reduce power wastage.

Curriculum; pupils learn how to share and defend their points of view and how this can be peacefully challenged. Pupils learn about the advantages and disadvantages of democracy and how it works in Britain.

The Rule of Law; respect for the basis on which the law is made and applies in England and supports equality of opportunity for all

School Rules and Values; the importance of laws, whether they are those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced at Waddesdon Village Primary School. Pupils are taught from an early age the rules of the school. These are our Golden Rules, Playground Rules and Classroom Rules. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind rules and 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 and Fire Service help reinforce this message.

Curriculum; pupils learn to be able to distinguish right from wrong and how to resolve conflict. They understand how to be moral and what this looks like in our school.

Ethos; our Equalities and Cohesion Policy states the expectations for all members of our school community to promote equality, the principle of equal treatment for all people irrespective of their gender, ethnicity, disability, religious belief/non-belief, sexual orientation, age, marriage or civil partnership and pregnancy or maternity status. To promote and celebrate diversity, the acceptance that we are all different but we are all equal. We also expect staff to challenge discrimination.

Individual Liberty; support and respect for the liberties of all within the law

Curriculum; at Waddesdon, pupils are actively encouraged and supported to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe environment. As a school we teach and provide boundaries for young pupils to make informed choices, through a safe environment and an empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, for example, through our E-Safety, Computing and PSHCE lessons.

Anti-Bullying; the school has a strong anti-bullying culture in which Pupil Parliament is involved in policy writing and promoting this across the school.

Mutual Respect; respect for and tolerance of different faiths and religious and other beliefs

School Rules; 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.

Friendship Partners; Years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 work with Reception class to form friendships that help the Reception Class pupils feel safe and happy in our school environment. These friendships are built on compassion and respect for each other.

Tolerance of Those With Different Faiths And Beliefs

Curriculum; Wadddesdon is a small village school, with predominately white British pupils. We feel it is important to educate our pupils on the diversity of their locality and the world around them. We actively promote diversity through our celebrations of different faiths and cultures. Religious Education and PSHCE lessons reinforce messages of tolerance and respect for others. Members of different faiths and religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. The children visit places of worship that are important to different faiths.

We are linked with a culturally diverse school in Aylesbury.

Our Golden Rules are:

• We are kind and helpful

• We are honest

• We work hard

• We listen

• We are careful and gentle

• We look after property

Our Code of Conduct:

• We are polite, kind, respectful and considerate to everyone in school

• We look after all the equipment that we use in school

• We work quietly and always do our best

• We put up our hands if we want to say something

• We listen carefully to what others have to say

• We move around the school quietly and sensibly

• We look after our own and other people’s property

• We try to make our school a happy place for everyone.