The Department for Education define British values as having 5 different elements:

  • Democracy
  • The rule of law
  • Individual liberty
  • Mutual respect
  • Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

The promotion of British values and ethos is a key part of life at All Saints as they are an integral and long-standing element to our approach to teaching and learning as well as to the wider school and parish community.


The following information highlights just a few of the ways that these values form part of our everyday school life.

Being part of Britain

At All Saints we welcome and promote diverse culture, background and heritage. Alongside this, we value and celebrate being part of Britain. In general terms, this means that we celebrate traditions and customs throughout the year such as Harvest festival during the Autumn term, the Nativity at Christmas and Easter bonnet parades in the Spring.

Children also learn about being part of Britain from different specific perspectives. Two specific examples of when we teach about being part of Britain are through our Geography and History curricula. 

Democracy

Every member of the school community; children, parents, and staff have many opportunities for their voices to be heard. We provide surveys on a variety of subjects from Wellbeing to Catholic Life and we act on the results that we receive. 

Our children have elected a School Council. The election of the School Council members reflects our British electoral system and demonstrates democracy in action. It is made up of an elected representative of one child per class from Reception to year six. The School Council meets regularly to discuss issues raised by the different classes.

Other examples of ‘pupil voice’ are:

  • Pupil Voice groups that address issues that are important to the children. These groups fundraise, write letters to the local council, arrange neighbourhood clean ups, etc. Examples of these groups are “Puppers Animal Rights Group”, “The Poverty Busters”, and the “Eco Emeralds”.
  • Children agree to uphold and respect the school rules and are actively encouraged to discuss what these mean and the importance of them.
  • Children can comment on their own work. They are asked to respond and reflect on their own learning as part of the marking and feedback process.
  • Children are included during curriculum monitoring and are given the opportunity to speak with subject leads and senior leaders about what they are learning and how.

Pupils are listened to by adults and are taught to listen carefully and with concern to each other. This shows the importance we place on respecting the right of every individual to have their opinions and voices heard. We encourage pupils to take ownership of not only their school but also of their own learning and progress by using the Balance approach to assessment. This encourages a heightened sense of both personal and social responsibility and is demonstrated on a daily basis by our pupils.

We have a staff council that meets regularly. This is another opportunity for staff from various parts of the school to voice their opinions to the head teacher or Governors.

Rules and Laws

The importance of rules and laws, whether they be those that govern our school or our country, are referred to and reinforced often, such as in assemblies and when reflecting on behaviour choices. We have a set of school rules which are in place and children from Reception to Year six are taught to value and uphold these rules:

  1. Dignity – We show respect for people, property and the environment.
  2. Service – We are always ready to learn, we follow instructions carefully
  3. Truth – We are honest, we don’t cover up the truth
  4. Faith – We are gentle, we keep our hands and feet to ourselves
  5. Peace – We always say sorry and take responsibility for our own actions
  6. Holiness – We are one family, we belong
  7. Gentleness – We are gentle, we keep our hands and feet to ourselves

Pupils are taught to value and understand the reasons behind the rules and that these rules are necessary in order to create a safe, stimulating learning environment. Children are taught that each individual has a responsibility to uphold these rules in order to create a harmonious place to learn and that those who do not uphold the rules are subject to negative consequences, in the same way they would be in the wider community. We also reinforce these rules in a positive way though mature discussion and positive rewards such as dojos, Star of the Week and Golden Tickets.

These values are reinforced in different ways:

  • visits from authorities such as the police and fire service
  • in parts of the curriculum such as PE, where there is respect and appreciation for different rules in sports or games. 
  • our efforts within the broader community help children learn to value and respect each person as a unique individual.

We aim to provide children with an understanding of the importance of the Rule of law that will aid them in both in their life outside of school and in their future adult life.

Individual Liberty

We promote children’s freedom of choice and their right to hold and express views and beliefs in a respectful and considerate way. By providing a safe, supportive environment and an education which exposes the children to the world around them, we give them the opportunity to make choices safely. We offer a range of clubs which pupils have the freedom to choose from, based on their interests. Having the opportunity to access choice and freedom in daily school life will foster a value for individual liberty.

Mutual Respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

Mutual respect and community spirit is part of all we do at All Saints. We offer a culturally rich and diverse curriculum and we learn about, respect and value all major religions in our RE lessons and through our Catholic life. We strongly believe that tolerance is gained through knowledge and understanding. Through our curriculum and the routines of our daily school life, we strive to demonstrate tolerance and empathy and help children to become knowledgeable and understanding citizens who can build a better Britain for the future.