British Values – Manland Primary School

The Government has given clear guidance about the role of British values in education. The school leadership team has written this document to help parents and carers to learn more about what the Government’s guidance says and how it is reflected in our school.

In sharing its guidance about British values, the Government reminds us that:

All people living in England are subject to its law
The ethos and teaching in all schools should support the rule of English civil and criminal law
Pupils should be made aware of the difference between the law of the land and religious law

Over time, through learning at home and school, children become increasingly familiar with the values that underpin our society – most recently referred to in educational documentation as ‘British Values’. The government’s documentation outlines four key areas which have been identified for focus when children are learning about British Values.

Democracy
The rule of law
Individual liberty
Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

Please see below for some real-life examples of how we promote British Values in school.

Individual Liberty

We have recently introduced a new maths scheme at Manland called White Rose. During one of our recent House Assemblies, we gathered pupil voice to provide us with an early evaluation of the change in maths teaching.

What our pupils said:

“There is a symbol so that we know when it is ‘talk partner’ time.”

“There is a lot more space to do our working out.”

“The sheets make my learning clear.”

“The level of challenge is just right.”

“We write and underline ‘Challenge‘ so our teacher knows if we moved on to the challenge.”

“I can sit with my teaching assistant if I am not sure or ask my teacher to help me.”

House Captains

Our House Captains form an integral part of promoting British Values at Manland.

At the beginning of the academic year, all children are given their democratic right to vote for who they feel would serve them best as their House Captain. The children fill in ballot papers as shown below:

Once the House Captains have been elected, they get to work straight away. They present assemblies to the whole school to help the children to collectively make important decisions.

One such example is deciding on which new playground equipment to buy. The House Captains created a presentation to show during assembly to explain what the options were. Votes were taken and then the most popular choices were purchased.

House Captains also contribute to school self-evaluation and promote it to the other children. The children are encouraged to share their ideas and to listen to other people’s points of view.