British Values

At The John Wesley Church of England Methodist Primary School we are committed to ensuring that our pupils are offered a broad and balanced curriculum that aims to prepare them for life in modern Britain. We encourage our pupils to be inquisitive learners who are open to new experiences and are accepting of others. Our Christian Values of: Love, Compassion, Forgiveness, Service, Wisdom and Koinonia support the development of the whole child as a reflective learner within a safe respectful learning environment. Teaching the school’s Christian values alongside the fundamental British values supports quality teaching and learning, whilst making a positive contribution to the development of a fair, just and civil society.

 The key British values are:

• Democracy
• Rule of Law
• Individual Liberty
• Mutual Respect and Tolerance

Through our balanced curriculum we aim to actively promote principles that:

•  Enable pupils to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self confidence
• Enable pupils to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England
• Encourage pupils to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative and understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality in which the school is situated, and to society more widely
• Enable pupils to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England
• Further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling pupils to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own cultures
• Encourage respect for other people
• Encourage respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic processes, including respect for the basis on which the law is made and applied in England

 How they are Promoted 

Democracy:

The promotion of democracy is extensive within the school. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council and pupil questionnaires. Children in each class vote to elect the children they want to represent them on school Council. Children are consulted and contribute to the development of school policies, choosing charities to support as a school, lead projects to see changes to the school. 

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, PSHE curriculum, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school worship times. 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. 

Individual Liberty:

Within 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, through provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Through nurture and zones of regulation. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advise how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons. Pupils are given the freedom to make choices, for example signing up for extra-curricular clubs, choosing the level of challenge in some lessons and deciding what to present at class assemblies to parents.

Mutual Respect:

As a Church of England school / Methodist school, our ethos is based around core Christian values, including respect. This is supported by our values led worship time and main hall display, with a different value each half term. OPAL play promotes the respect of others during time out of class and support children of all ages. There are different opportunities throughout the school year where classes from different Key Stages are linked to work on different projects, which helps to promote respect between children of different ages.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:

This is achieved through enhancing pupils understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity. Worship times and discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in RE and PSHE. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school.