Icknield Infant & Nursery School

British Values Statement

At Icknield Infant & Nursery School we aim for our children to become valuable and fully rounded members of society who treat others with respect and tolerance, regardless of background. We promote the basic British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs.

Democracy

We have a School Council which consists of two members from each KS1 class who are nominated and voted for by their classmates. They meet every few weeks with the Deputy Headteacher to discuss a range of issues. These issues include social and moral elements of school life, such creating codes of conduct for playtimes and modelling positive behaviours for their peers. The areas for discussion are then fed back to the rest of the class where they can all share their views and thoughts. Where decisions need to be made, each class member has a vote to ensure their opinion is heard.

The Rule of Law

Our School Rules are clearly outlined in our Behaviour Policy, which is also shared with parents and carers. At the beginning of the year class teachers discuss these rules with their pupils and personalize them according to the age and needs of the class. All the adults and children belonging to that class then sign the rules, which are clearly displayed in the classroom. These rules are revisited regularly through PSHE lessons, assemblies and class circle times and there are clear sanctions for broken rules, visible to all through our Sunshine Positive Behaviour system, which every class uses. We ensure that children understand that school and class rules are there to protect us and are essential for our wellbeing and safety. Elements of the History curriculum also enable children to explore the roles of law and authority in the past, for example through studying the Gunpowder Plot.

Individual Liberty

We encourage our children to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment to enable them to do this. Through our PSHE lessons we discuss different choices they may make and the consequences of those choices. Children are continually encouraged to make the right choices by all adults working in school and this theme is revisited through a programme of class assemblies and circle times. We encourage independent thinking through Building Learning Power, which encourages the children to reflect on their learning and the choices they have made. The importance of making safe choices when using the Internet is explored regularly through the Computing curriculum and shared with the whole school as part of our annual E-Safety day.

Mutual Respect

Our whole school ethos is built around mutual respect. We are an inclusive school where everyone is valued and has a contribution to make to the school. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. The importance of working together is explored through the "Relationships" strand of our Building Learning Power programme. Examples of children demonstrating these values are celebrated and displayed as leaves on our BLP trees in each classroom. Children are encouraged to respect each other throughout the day, including lunchtimes, when Playleaders give out "Praise Pad" certificates to children exhibiting these values.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

All different faiths and beliefs are explored and celebrated through assemblies, RE sessions and a variety of visitors into school. The children are taught that people have different faiths and beliefs and that these should be accepted. Children within our school with different faiths are encouraged to share their practices and special celebrations. Parents are invited to share celebrations from a range of faiths with us, including attending Harvest and Diwali assemblies. Our English curriculum includes texts from a range of cultures to further raise children’s awareness of different cultures, faiths and beliefs.