Coleshill Heath School. Global and British Values Overview.
Coleshill Heath Primary School is committed to serving its community. It recognises the multi-cultural, multi faith and ever-changing nature of the United Kingdom. It also understands the vital role it has in ensuring that groups or individuals within the school are not subjected to intimidation or radicalisation by those wishing to unduly, or illegally, influence them.
Following equal opportunities law guarantees that there will be no discrimination against any individual or group, regardless of faith, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, political or financial status, or similar. Coleshill Heath Primary School is dedicated to preparing children for their adult life beyond the formal curriculum and ensuring that it promotes and reinforces British Values to all its children.
Democracy
We have a School Parliament represented by children from Year 3 through to Year 6 who are elected democratically each academic year. The principle of democracy is explored through our elections for the School Parliament and Code Captains. Pupils in Year 6 have the opportunity to apply for and become Code Captains for the school year. All these positions include taking on roles of responsibility for the wider school, including doing tours of the school for many different visitors, supporting younger children at lunchtime and play time, helping in the school office delivering messages, co-leading assemblies, promoting change within the school by ensuring a pupil voice is heard. The principle of democracy is explored further through our British Value lessons.
The Rule of Law
The importance of laws/rules, whether they be those that govern the class, the school or the country are consistently reinforced at Coleshill Heath Primary School through our core values and rules (Ready, Respectful and Safe), certificates being given at our weekly R.E.C.I.P.E and Jigsaw assemblies, our PSHE curriculum (Jigsaw), rewards and sanctions in the school, our diverse curriculum and our restorative approach system to fall-outs where children are encouraged to make the right choices, to self-regulate and change their behaviours .
These combined teach the children the values and reasons behind rules and laws; that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. We also have regular visits from authorities such as the health service, fire service and police.
Individual Liberty
Our children are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. Children are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to do this safely through our learning on e-safety, the PSHE curriculum (Jigsaw), our anti-bullying programme, circle time and visits from agencies like the NSPCC.
Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs
Mutual respect is at the heart of our values – everything we do, we do together. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and the rights of others.
Our diverse curriculum helps us to learn respect and tolerance for others through finding out how history has shaped our country and the wider world, through a comprehensive RE curriculum (Discovery) where children learn about our world faiths and ask big questions (e.g. what does it mean to live together in one world?). Through geography children learn about other cultures and the needs of others around the world, through our Jigsaw PSHE curriculum (e.g. Supporting different charities – our local Food bank, Helping Hands, NSPCC, Children in Need and Comic Relief) and through visits out (e.g. different places of worship), and visitors in (e.g. City Mission to take assemblies and visitors from a range of communities and organisations).
Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural
A great deal of what we cover for SMSC is mentioned above.
Our core school values are explicitly taught each term, reinforcing their importance and developing pupil’s understanding of them. Eleven further values have been selected as focus values, by our School Parliament, and these are promoted explicity.
To further develop SMSC we have regular groups and individual sessions run by our school mentors to encourage self-esteem in children, thinking about choices and consequences and using drawing and talking. All teachers specifically meet the personal and social needs of the children in their class so that they are all able to access learning.
We hold a weekly celebration assemblies which celebrate various aspects of our school life including our PSHE theme. We have Peacemakers and daily Behaviour Stars who promote and model excellent behaviour and positive relationships.
Local church groups come into school on a regular basis to lead assemblies and understanding of all major faiths is developed through our R.E Discovery scheme of work.
All pupils are constantly and consistently rewarded for positive behaviours via our dojo system, which the overwhelming majority of parents and carers are signed up to; therefore receiving regular positive feedback on children’s positive input to school life and learning.
At Coleshill Heath Primary School we strive to ensure that our children will leave us with a strong foundation of values upon which they can build a successful life and make a successful contribution to our global society.