British values are woven into our PHSE curriculum so that they are part of our planned curriculum and are not just happening by chance.
- EYFS learn about British traditions, events and British landmarks. There are also opportunity to do lots of activities involving red, white and blue – e.g painting, red and blue coloured water coloured cornflour, castle and George and the dragon small world scene, crown making, British Values day interest table with objects, photos and books, making cucumber sandwiches etc.
- Y1 PHSE Being Different – Tolerance & Acceptance
- Y2 PHSE Coping with conflict – Individual liberty
- Y3 PHSE Me and My community – Rule Of Law
- Y4 PHSE Local community & shared responsibility – Mutual Respect
- Y5 PHSE – Democracy
- Y6 PHSE – Democracy
We also have regular assemblies about British values.
The British Values are also displayed around the school so that children are constantly aware of what they are:
We always have a central British Values Display that all classes contribute to.
Every year (close to St George’s day) we also have a special British Values Day.
Coronation Picnic & Crowns
To mark the Coronation of King Charles 111 we had our own special celebrations. Today the children came dressed in red, white and blue and wearing crowns or tiaras. Even Poppy had a crown. There was a special coronation lunch which included a delicious all-day breakfast and the king’s favourite lemon dessert. In the afternoon after a special coronation assembly which explained what a coronation is and what the main features of the coronation are, the children had a coronation picnic.
British Values Day
For British Values Day the children came to school wearing red, white and blue. We have had a series of assemblies each week about British values. Each year group has a particular topic that they learn about on our British Values Day.
EYFS: In the nursery the children had red, white and blue paint to paint union flags. They had red, white and blue rice to play with. There were pictures of British food and British landmarks on the writing table and the children made cucumber sandwiches. In Reception the children also made union flags. They learned about what a King is and learned about King Charles and his upcoming coronation. They made crowns.
Reception also learned about Eid as part of their work of acceptance of those from other faiths.
Year 1 learned about showing tolerance and acceptance of those with other faiths. They thought about the fact that everyone has different opinions and views. They thought about the fact that – There are NO OUTSIDERS at Holly Park – we are all different – ages, religions, ethnicity, disability etc but everyone is welcome at our school. When someone is included, it helps them feel respected, valued for who they are and like they belong.
Year 2 learned about Individual Liberty. They thought about bullying and that we should all be free from bullying. They talked about different kinds of bullying – social, physical, verbal and online. They looked at the Holly Park Helping Hands. The children listened to the story ‘The Juice Box Bully’ to understand how children can be either ‘bystanders’ or ‘upstanders’ in a situation and to empower children to stand up for others. The children had different scenarios to decide if there was bullying going on or not and if there was then what type of bullying it might be. Children then got into groups to work together as a team to build a house of cards.
Year 3 learned about the Rule of Law. They thought about why we have rules and who makes the rules. They discussed what would happen if there were no rules. They identified the different rules that they follow in different places. They looked at the consequences of not following the rules. Year 3 also talked about the rules relate to children’s rights. They also looked at how to resolve conflict using the Restorative Approach.
Year 4 learned about Mutual Respect. They thought about – What makes our community? The different contributions that people and groups make to the community, how different members in the community help and our responsibilities for protecting the environment.
Year 5 learned about Democracy. They learned how to identify the key elements of a democracy – who makes the decisions, local government and the rights of every citizen.
Year 6 built on work they have already done on the fundamental aspects of democracy and learning about ‘The Rule of Law’. They learned about the role of parliament, the police and the criminal justice system. They considered what a country with no laws would look like and came up with new laws that they would introduce to make Britain an even better place to live.
Each class from Y2-Y6 also did some art work for our whole school British Value display: Year 2 – union jacks. Year 3 – red things – London buses, telephone boxes, Poppies. Year 4 – gold crowns. Year 5 – silhouettes of London landmarks. Year 6 – portraits of King Charles.
We also had Morris dancing sessions in the hall for the children from Years 2 to 6. Morris dancing is a traditionally British form of dancing, Morris dancing is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping. The dancers usually wear bell pads on their shins and the dancers wield handkerchiefs. The children really enjoyed the sessions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my child still be able to express his/her faith at school?
Absolutely. One of the fundamental values is respect and tolerance of people of other faiths. British law protects their freedom to hold their own belief. Any prejudice or discrimination towards pupils on the basis of faith goes against British values.
How will British values affect my child in lessons?
The curriculum provides lots of opportunities to look at British values. Children will have had experience of this through RE and PSHE lessons. In each subject, teachers look for opportunities to think about how values link to what is being studied.
Will there be major changes to the school’s ethos?
The school ethos includes aspects of British values. For example we expect children to follow school rules and be kind to each other. British values reinforce, not change our current ethos.
Project Britain
Every year we have a Project Britain day. On this day children cover aspects of their planned PHSE curriculum related to British Values.
On these days children often wear red, white and blue. We often have a special British lunch. We always invite on visitors. In the past these have included: George and The Dragon story tellers, country dancers, Morris dancers, Pearly Kings and Queens and Maypole dancers.
On these days children often learn about British traditions. They have often researched:
- key events in British history,
- famous London buildings,
- British sports,
- British transport,
- British food,
- multi-cultural Britain,
- British symbols,
- key festivals and celebrations,
- the royal family,
- The River Thames,
- The London Underground,
- British weather etc
The Department of Education has reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools 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.”
The government set out its definition of British values in their Prevent Strategy. At Holly Park these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:
Democracy
Democracy is evident within the school. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council, Eco Council, Learning Council and Healthy Living Council.
They also complete annual Pupil questionnaires. School Council representatives in each class are voted for. Each week in each class one ‘Star of the Week’ Award winner is nominated and voted for by the pupils.
Our school behaviour policy involves lots of rewards but our marble jar reward system is based on pupils voting as a class group for their treat. As well as having voting opportunities there are also cases when children are selected by merit for special jobs e.g Learning Council. This is also an important message.
Our Curriculum offers many opportunities to discuss democracy – The Romans, The Ancient Greeks. It allows us to consider events in history where British values have been tested e.g WW2.
Our work on speaking and listening and Debate gives children opportunity to give their views, debate and argue, making well considered points and looking at both sides of an argument. A competitive spirit is also encouraged through our House system – e.g every child competes to earn points for their house at sports day. We have a House challenge every year.
Sometimes our school council visit the London Assembly rooms.
At Holly Park we always get involved whenever their is a General Election. We talk about how parliament is dissolved and how the people have a chance to choose a new government. We talke about voting and how every child at Holly Park had had the opportunity to vote for their school council representative. We liken this to voting for an MP. We talk about the main parties in the election – their name, colour and name of their leader. We discuss ballot papers and the ballot box.
The Rule of Law
The importance of Laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies.
Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the Police, Fire Brigade and our Y6 Young Citizens day are regular parts of our calendar and help reinforce this message.
Individual Liberty
Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young pupils to make choices safety, through the provision of a safe environment.
Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advise how to exercise these safely, for example through our Anti-Bullying, Online-Safety and PSHE lessons.
Whether it be through how they record their work, how they record and show their homework, of participation in our extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices and have input into their own learning.
Mutual Respect
Part of our school behaviour policy has revolved around the Core Value of ‘Respect’, and pupils regularly reminded abut what this means and how it is shown. This is part of our 3 simple rules of ‘Ready, Respectful. Safe.’
Pupils are encouraged to have respect for themselves. We are A Rights Respecting School. Children consider the Rights of the child regularly.
Our curriculum allows us to consider respect for our world – e.g Fairtrade, Rainforests and deforestation, waste, littering, the environment etc
Each year we take part in anti- bullying week. Every year we show respect for others by fund raising for different charities. We have supported events such as – Children in Need, Sports Relief, Great Ormond Street, Water Aid, Barnet Hospital, Guide Dogs For the Blind, NSPCC, Noah’s Ark, Winston’s Wish, Local Food Banks etc.
Every year we celebrate Harvest and donate goods to either Homeless Action in Barnet or a local food bank.
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.
Assemblies and discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in RE and PSHE.
Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school.
Every class makes a visit each year to a place of worship linked to their RE topics. We celebrate other religions and faiths through music – singing songs from different festivals and in different languages.
Celebrating Traditions and Values
At Holly Park we like to celebrate the traditions and customs of all of our pupils. We also celebrate British traditions and customs in quite a big way.
Our EYFS and KS1 children learn about traditional tales as part of their literacy work. They read lots of British traditional tales. Our infant show is often based around a well known children’s book.
Our EYFS continue the tradition of learning nursery rhymes and often participate in Nursery Rhyme Week. Our KS2 reading challenge has a wealth of books on offer including stories from other cultures but also containing many British classics.
Throughout a school day we encourage orderly systems of lining up and queuing – after break time, when waiting for their lunch. We also try to encourage a traditional family style way of eating at lunchtime with packed lunches and dinners sitting together and younger and older children sitting together chatting as they eat. The dining room is given more of a family feel with table cloths, plants, napkins and jugs of water to share.