In accordance with the Department for Education, we aim to actively promote British values in school to that our pupils leave school prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils are encouraged to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect and tolerance, and understand that while different people may hold different views about what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, all people living in England are subject to its law.

Our school’s core Christian values of Love, Forgiveness, Honesty and Respect work in harmony with our British Values, and we encourage pupils to consider them together.

The key British values are:

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

At St. Michael’s we ensure that the fundamental British values are introduced, discussed and lived out through the ethos and work of the school. Our curriculum provides excellent opportunities to deepen and strengthen the understanding of these values through both explicit teaching and Collective worship.

Democracy – what do we do?

• Provide pupils with a broad general knowledge of, and promote respect for, public institutions and services.
• Teach pupils how they can influence decision-making through the democratic process.
• Teach the pupils the history of democracy such as through topic coverage on Ancient Greece.
• Encourage pupils to become involved in decision-making processes and ensure they are listened to in school, such as through the School Council.
• Hold debates so that pupils learn how to argue and defend points of view.
• Help pupils to express their views, including through circle time.
• Democracy is also shown through History topics such as the Vikings and Saxons.
• Use a democratic process for the election of House Captains and School Council members.

Rule of Law – what do we do?

• Ensure that class expectations are clear and fair.
• Class codes of conduct are discussed and set.
• The Golden Rule model for behaviour is displayed in every classroom.
• Lunchtime and playground rules are ahered to.
• Use of praise and rewards to promote positive behaviour, alongside sanctions to encourage pupils to take ownership of their behaviour.
• Help pupils to distinguish right from wrong.
• Help pupils to respect the law and the basis on which it is made.
• Enable children to understand the Prevent programme through workshops at upper KS2.
• Engage in Bikeability in Year 6 to understand the rules of the road
• Engage local services to conduct workshops across the school on road and fire safety.

Individual Liberty – what do we do?

• Support pupils to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence
• Have a strong focus on pupils developing their own self-discipline by supporting all pupils to adhere to our Christian values.
• Encourage pupils to take responsibility for their emotions and behaviour through our Zones of Regulation strategy
• Model freedom of speech through pupil voice.
• Implement a strong anti-bullying culture throughout the school.
• Ensure that children in upper KS2 are given key roles and responsibilities such as play leaders, buddies, sports captains, librarians and House captains.
• Give the children the freedom to make safe choices through our broader curriculum offer e.g., Woodland learning.
• Vulnerable pupils are protected and stereotypes challenged.

Mutual Respect and Tolerance – what do we do?

• Promote respect for individual differences.
• Help pupils to acquire an understanding of, and respect for, their own and other cultures and ways of life, particularly through our RE and PSHE curriculums.
• Challenge prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour.
• Organise visits to places of worship.
• Develop links with faith and other communities through RE and working alongside children and their families.
• Listen to and respect each other. We teach the children that conflict will be dealt with calmly and fairly.
• All members of our school community are equally valued. We celebrate lunch time behaviour and take care of our school environment.
• We focus on ‘Respect’ as one of our Christian values through collective worship and RE.
• We celebrate each other’s achievements whether that be in or out of school.
• Year 6 children are buddies to the Reception children, fostering mutual respect across different age phases.
• Have zero-tolerance for any form of aggression, abuse or violence which extends to pupils, staff and parents/carers.