British Values

It is ours, and every school’s responsibility to, ‘promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

At Earlsmead Primary School and Children and Family Centre, we promote these values in the following ways:

Democracy

At the beginning of each year children affirm the school’s expectations and the rights and responsibilities associated with these. Every child and staff member abides by these. The children and staff actively engage with each other to create harmonious learning environments where everyone is responsible for the rules.

Earlsmead has a School Council to which members are voted each year by their peers. Children write a statement to support their proposal to be their class representative and the children decide who will best represent them. Children understand that a place on the School Council comes with the responsibility of representing their peers’ needs and interest.

We encourage children to be leaders throughout the school and we have a number of activities and responsibilities that are undertaken by the children. For example, pupils from Key Stage 1 and 2 are Play Leaders at lunch and play times. They have specific responsibility for encouraging all children to take part at playtime i.e. by inviting them to join in with games. We also have Digital Leaders, made up of children who have a particular interest and aptitude in I.T. across KS2 who have responsibility for reinforcing our e safety agenda across the whole school.

Democracy is taught during assemblies and during class-based PSHE sessions. Children regularly have opportunities to express their views through Pupil Voice interviews and questionnaires. Pupils have surveyed the views of their peers and this has fed into lunchtime menus for the whole school and more recently into children sharing the views and opinions gathered on science and technology being shared with……

The Rule of Law

Behaviour and safety at Earlsmead are consistently outstanding and are seen as an absolute priority by the entire school community. Children know what is expected of them, why rules are so important, and what the consequences are if they do not follow them. Children at Earlsmead are well aware of what an exciting curriculum they have and their sustained excellent behaviour enables them to develop into confident and independent learners.

At Earlsmead we ensure that children are acutely aware of the responsibilities that come with having rights. Children develop a thorough understanding of personal responsibility and develop independence in managing relationships and behaviour. Through our whole school approach to restorative justice, we enable children to develop the language and strategies to solve conflict and right wrongs. We regularly involve parents and carers in this process and are also committed to working closely with a number of other agencies and organisations to support us in developing this understanding.

At Earlsmead we offer a range of exciting opportunities for children to be leaders throughout the school, and they understand that the rules they have created fro their classes permeate through all activities and events. Children also understand their behaviour and regard for the rules extends beyond the school itself, such as acting as school ambassadors while on school trips. This understanding means that teachers can organise fascinating school trips secure in the knowledge that children will get the same from them as they do from learning opportunities within school.

Individual Liberty

Earlsmead is a safe place for children and cultivates an atmosphere in which children can make choices about their school life in a supportive environment.

We teach our pupils to know that they have boundaries within which they make choices safely through the provision of a nurturing mindset and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand, and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised on how to exercise these safely, for example through E-Safety and PSHE lessons. 

Whether it is through choice of challenge, of how they record learning, or of participation in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices. From the very start of their school life children are encouraged to challenge their personal best by giving them ownership of their own learning. Children regularly have next steps shared with them, whether verbally or with written feedback in books so they know exactly what they can do to progress.

Mutual Respect

The ethos of our school nurtures an understanding of mutual respect and it underpins the engaging and exciting teaching and learning that happens here. School life at Earlsmead abides by our values that nurture kindness, resilience, honesty and respect. The children and staff connected to our school understand our values and work in a manner that encourages everyone to achieve to their highest ability. 

Assemblies regularly cover, ‘Respect’ and pupils have been part of discussions related to what this means and how we show it. We believe it is important to celebrate diversity in many ways, for example through raising awareness and understanding of members of our school community through national initiatives such as ‘Autism Awareness Week’. 

When a child does well, their achievement is displayed for everyone to learn from their positive attitude and hard work and is acknowledged through the whole school merit system. Learning and effort are highly respected and the whole school is focused on developing an intrinsic sense of worth and achievement.

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. We are lucky to be situated in one of the most diverse boroughs in London and because of that we are rich in both cultures and languages, with over forty different home languages represented amongst staff and pupils. We regularly hold whole-school assemblies to celebrate and learn about the numerous religious festivals that happen throughout the school year and often draw on the diverse communities our children come from by involving parents and carers. We harness cultural links in our classes, through our creative curriculum and often reach out into the community to support our teaching as well as organising trips that give pupils an insight into others way of life. Children experience influences from all over the world in their classrooms. Our core values ensure children develop respect for the person: developing strong and lasting relationships that enable the community to be strong and cohesive.