British Values

British Values

Within our Trust we recognise, not only the importance of helping students to flourish academically but also spiritually, morally, socially and culturally, so they are fully prepared for life in British society and for their role as citizens, able to make the strongest possible contribution to the Common Good of all.  We teach the importance of British values by going much deeper into the meaning of what it means to live a good life, within a framework of Catholic Christian Values. This provides the context and meaning for understanding why British values are important. Our framework for understanding British values draws on the example of Jesus and his welcome and inclusion of all, which is developed in Catholic Social Teaching.

To support our children’s understanding of Democracy we encourage children to know their views count, value each other’s views and values and talk about their feelings by; having a curriculum that promotes an understanding of democracy, having school forums such as our School Council that children apply to be on and work alongside SLT and Teachers to drive initiatives through school, Involving our children in democratic processes: e.g. choosing team names, engaging children in assemblies that discuss democratic themes such as general elections and involving our children in the recruitment of staff.

The importance of laws, whether they are those that govern the class, the academy, the Trust, or the country, is consistently reinforced throughout every day, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through Acts of Worship. The curriculum is designed to ensure students are taught the values and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken.

Students are actively encouraged to make independent choices knowing that they are in a safe, secure and supportive environment. We educate and provide boundaries for students to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and an empowering education. We encourage students to see themselves as unique individuals able to make a unique contribution to building community. Students are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights, responsibilities and personal freedoms and receive advice about how to exercise these safely.

Respect is a core value for each of our academies and is modelled by pupils and staff alike. We promote respect for others and this is reiterated through our classroom and learning environments as well as extra-curricular activities such as sport. In line with our commitment to democracy, students are always able to voice their opinions as we foster an environment where pupils can debate ideas and are safe to disagree with each other. We encourage students to substantiate opinions and to realise the value of co-operation and consensus as well as decision making through voting. Our emphasis on ethics, fairness and justice means that we ask our students to ensure that they look out for those who might be marginalised and disadvantaged. We take a strong stance on social inclusion and anti-bullying through an explicit focus on strategies to enable respect for difference.

This is achieved through equipping students with the ability to develop positive values, understand their own beliefs and their place in a culturally diverse society. We give our students opportunities to experience such diversity within the Academy Trust community and within the wider community. All students experience a connection with other cultures and beliefs through our Religious Education programme Our Religious Studies curriculum follows the teaching of the Church in providing a broad and balanced education, which includes an understanding of and respect for people of other faiths or none and other religions, cultures and lifestyles.

Our Lady of Lourdes CMAT British Values and Catholic Ethos

British Values and Catholic Ethos

Catholic Education Service British Values

Catholic Education Service British Values

DfE Guidance on promoting British Values

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/guidance-on-promoting-british-values-in-schools-published

Events

We started the with some children enjoying a Coronation Royal breakfast at Breakfast Club.

The whole school joined together to start the day with an assembly. Mr Davis played some lovely music as we came into the hall and we learnt all about the line of succession, what happens at a Coronation, why and the important items that are given to the new monarch and its meaning. We ended the assembly with the National Anthem, again Mr Davis playing the piano.

We then took part in Coronation activities in our own activities, took part in an indoor picnic due to the rain, enjoyed an ice cream from the ice cream van and then went home with a Coronation goody bag.

See some of the photos below of the day.

The children and staff had a great day to mark the Queen’s 70 year reign as our monarch. The children sang the National Anthem and enjoyed activities and a slice of Jubilee cake.

We had a great day learning about King George V and King Edward VIII, who abdicated after less than a year. This meant that his younger brother George became King George VI. We learnt that he is the Queen’s dad and that if King Edward VIII had not abdicated, we wouldn’t have the Royal Family we have today. We learnt the meaning of specific words; abdicated, coronated, reign, monarch and had a fantastic day learning all about The Royal Family.

Class 1 presented an assembly all about the Queen’s 90th Birthday and Saint George’s Day.  The whole school and their parents listened to what they had been learning about. They also sang a song about respecting everyone.

Holy Cross celebrate and mark the Queen’s 90th Birthday by:

  • dressing in red, white and blue
  • having a picnic for lunch
  • standing for The National Anthem during assembly
  • making a finger print collage for our display

We wrote to the Queen to find out how she celebrates her birthday and St. George’s Day and were very excited to receive a reply from The Lady in Waiting.

Every year, we mark Remembrance Day with an assembly or liturgy. We write prayers to thank those who have died for us but also those who have fought to bring peace and harmony to the world that we live in. As a mark of respect, we hold a 2 minutes silence on the 11th day of 11th hour of the 11th month.

Gallery