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British Values at Victoria

In June 2014 the Government set out plans for all school children to be taught ‘British Values’ and guidance on promoting these in schools was published in November of the same year. At Victoria School we believe that our students should learn about these values enabling them to contribute positively as citizens of their local and wider communities.

The definitions of British Values according to the guidance are:

  • democracy
  • the rule of Law
  • individual liberty
  • mutual respect
  • tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

We aim to make these values meaningful for our students through our enrichment activities, community visits, lessons, inclusion links, assemblies, thoughts for the week (#TftW) and our Social, Cultural, Moral and Spiritual Curriculum.

We value the diversity and differences of all our students and celebrate this through our culture, ethos, approach to lessons and the respectful relationships we promote. We believe that commitment and celebration of our diversity makes us collectively stronger, tolerant and respectful of the differences in our community and the wider world.

We have committed to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and we are actively working towards achieving the Rights Respecting Schools Level 1 Award (RRSA). As part of this work we teach our young people about the rights of every child and ultimately their responsibility to ensure other children have their rights respected too. Within school, students are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment.

British values permeate throughout our curriculum and support the development of the whole child. Students have opportunities to learn about key faiths, as well as Christian celebrations and rites of passage. Our students visit local places of worship and we celebrate key Christian Festivals, often at our local church. We have found this enables our students to develop awareness and understanding of Christianity, whilst learning about other faiths helps to develop tolerance towards others.

We strongly promote ‘Student Voice’ to enable our students to learn to self-advocate, contribute, discuss, and co-operate.

We have a School Council. There are representatives from all classes in school and the students elect the officers annually. The School Council meets regularly where they follow an agenda and take notes. Students on the council learn to vote and take part in democratic decisions.

Our involvement with International Schools enables our young people to experience different cultures and languages first hand. We have been working on joint projects to learn more about the UNCRC and form friendships with students at our partner school in South Africa.

Visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service are regular parts of our calendar. Students learn about road safety, emergency services, railway safety and bus safety. In learning how to be safe, they also learn about the ‘rules’ and ‘laws’ that help to keep them safe.

We have a whole school approach to Positive Behaviour where the whole school community is actively involved in recognising and acknowledging the ‘Golden Rules’ of our school community. To encourage students to see themselves as part of a whole community, ‘Positive Contribution’ awards given to individuals accumulate and contribute to the opportunity of a ‘whole school reward’.

Please see some of our examples of how we promote British Values at Victoria School. We also have a new symbolised version.

Please see our British Citizenship Statement

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