Promoting British Values
Promoting British Values
Promoting British Values
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At Fred Longworth High School, our core ethos ensures that students learn about key British values of tolerance, commitment to democracy and the value of showing respect for one another. Students are constantly reminded that Belonging, Engaging, Succeeding TOGETHER means that we succeed when we work as a coherent community, regardless of any perceived differences amongst us.
This ethos underpins the duty placed on all schools to actively promote the fundamental British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, tolerance and mutual respect, including for those with different faiths or no faith. The duty placed on schools is intended to enhance the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of students and to strengthen the barriers to extremism.
As part of our wider safeguarding work, all staff have had training on the ‘Prevent’ strategy; additional training has been provided for those who are heavily involved in the pastoral care of students, including for Heads of Year and members of the safeguarding team.
We are committed to promoting British Values at all levels; these are demonstrated and consistently reinforced in the following ways:
Democracy:
Students have a key role in school decision-making through participation in the School Council, Form Representatives, Sports Leaders, and Prefects. The student School Council has been instrumental in the development of the uniform, acquisition of seating for students around the site, student toilet refurbishments and the rewards system. Student panels are involved in the appointment of all new staff. The senior prefects also contribute to the ‘Freddie’s Focus’ ideas for all students on a weekly basis.
- Teamwork is modelled by staff and consistently encouraged amongst students both inside and outside of lessons.
- Where possible, students will participate in the Wigan LA youth council ballot.
- Current affairs are covered during form time discussions as part of the ‘Have I Got News For You’ slot as part of Freddies Focus. This leads to an exploration of a wide range of British issues and values in the media. It also helps to prepare students to be informed citizens, able to take a full part in the democratic process.
- Our school aim of Belonging, Engaging and Succeeding Together demonstrate that the leadership of the school have a strong belief that every child matters.
- The school regularly holds Parent Forum meetings giving parents a democratic voice.
- The school governors act a system of checks and balances, holding the school and its leaders to account.
- The school council feeds back to Careers staff regarding the content of the curriculum.
- In English Literature, students study Golding’s ‘The Lord of the Flies’, exploring the use of allegory to explore the importance of democracy and the consequence of challenges to it.
- In Humanities, students are taught several units of work related to democracy:
- History – Magna Carta, Peasants’ Revolt, Women and The Vote, Indian Independence, Civil War, Weimar and Nazi Germany.
- Geography – Urban and Rural Resources – debate and decision making of real-world issues. News articles are set for reading homework. Humanities display current issues and news within the Faculty.
- Sociology – social inequality, power and decision making.
- Personal Development – students learn that information online can be manipulated and misrepresented or fake. They learn how to assess reliability and analyse different sources of information.
Rule of Law:
- Our Behaviour Policy is established and consistently used across the school. It reflects the rule of law in the wider community; misbehaviour is dealt with appropriately and looks to provide rehabilitation, retribution, protection and deterrence. The school has a successful restorative justice scheme. School rules and expectations are transparent, clear and fair, and are used consistently across the different areas and age groups.
- The curriculum provides opportunities for students to learn about the purpose of the rule of law, especially within PSHE and Humanities. Students examine how values underpin the rule of law and the ways in which laws govern and protect us. Specific examples include the following:
- In Design Technology, students learn about laws related to safe food handling and health and safety in the workplace and at home.
- In Computing lessons, students are taught various aspects of cyber security such as the Computer Misuse Act and GDPR, to ensure that they are aware of their digital responsibilities.
- History – Crime & punishment in Middle Ages, holding others to account e.g. Execution of Charles I, Jack the Ripper – role of the Police
- Geography – Laws and ecosystems (e.g. deforestation laws), planning laws.
- Sociology – Role of the Police, courts, prisons (crime unit), informal and formal sanctions – family, education, crime units. Family law. Equality Act – tackling discrimination.
- RS – crime & punishment – types of punishment (capital, corporal & custodial), links between laws & religion in the UK and beyond, moral opinions of the law e.g. euthanasia, abortion, drugs.
- In Personal Development students are exposed to aspects of the Equality Act 2010 that pertain to them and learn about rights, responsibilities and how to respect and advocate for them, including on – line.
Individual Liberty:
- Students are actively encouraged to be themselves through the wider curriculum. All students have the opportunity to participate in extra-curricular activities outside of the classroom. There is a diverse programme of activities and clubs including music, sport, drama and art. Students are rewarded for their participation in extra-curricular activity.
- Students are actively encouraged to make choices, whilst knowing they are in a safe and supportive environment.
- Our pastoral system has a focus on support: form tutors and Heads of Year actively encourage students to think about the reasons for their choices and seek to help individuals to make the right decisions for the right reasons.
- Through subjects such as PSHE, RS and History students are made aware of their rights from a legal and moral viewpoint (see above).
- Ethics and decision making online are covered through the Computing KS3 curriculum.
- In MFL students are taught about their role in our global society and their associated freedoms.
- Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons.
- In English Literature, students examine the ‘Diverse Shorts’, a range of short stories exploring issues around individual liberty including hate crime, police brutality and youth culture.
- In Science topics such as the ethics of stem cell use, IVF, and genetic screening ae taught.
- Our curriculum, together with our strong ethos, encourages students to evaluate the society in which they live and to make the informed, independent choices of good citizens.
- Personal Development covers aspects of identifying themselves in relationship to their sexuality and individual choices.
- All Y11 students take part in a careers conference at Leigh Sports Village giving them an opportunity to interact with different employers, FE and HE providers.
Mutual Respect:
- We encourage all members of our school community – staff, students, parents, governors and visitors – to respect our nurturing learning environment in which manners, politeness and respect for all are upheld.
- Respect underpins the Behaviour Policy and every aspect of our classroom and school rules. The School’s success is built upon the foundation of excellent relationships.
- We actively promote good citizenship and community values. Students are encouraged to maintain zero tolerance on any anti-social behaviour or prejudice towards any member of the school community.
- All students sign an Anti-bullying contract and this is also agreed by parents.
- Issues associated with cyber-bullying area taught within KS3 Computing.
- Across the curriculum, students are taught to respect different cultures, faiths and beliefs including British culture as part of a multi-cultural society – e.g. in RS and in Design Technology..
- In Physical Education lessons, students are taught respect for rules, opponents and concepts of fair play and sportsmanship.
- In MFL, students are encouraged to be open and accepting of students from different countries and the subject teaches students to respect other cultures and values. Students are also given the opportunity to communicate with people from target language communities.
- History – British Empire unit, Slavery unit, Women and the vote (tackling racism, sexism)
- Geography – understanding places and culture. Development and deprivation. Global aid.
- Sociology – norms, values, culture, social inequality, understanding different sociological perspectives e.g. Marxism, Feminism, Functionalism, tackling poverty/deprivation.
- RS – study of different faiths and respecting different beliefs.
- In Drama students show respect for each other when watching other students perform and during feedback.
- Personal Development covers many topics related to personal choice and respecting the ideas and opinions of others. This includes how students identify themselves within the school and broader society. Students learn that it is right to challenge stereotypes and respect the wishes of others.
Tolerance:
- We understand the importance of increasing a student’s understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society; students are given opportunities to experience that diversity. This is a focus for the curriculum in PSHE and RS and English Literature.
- Staff, students and parents actively support our inclusive ethos. Staff model the behaviours expected and instil within students to need for tolerance and respect.
- All students are taught about prejudice and discrimination in all its varieties. They learn about the destructive nature of discrimination and prejudice, and are challenged to think about how it can and should be confronted.
- World religions are covered in a thematic approach in the syllabus for RS in which all students participate.
- In MFL lessons students study lessons on ‘Black History Month’ and ‘LGBT+ month’, as part of new schemes of learning.
- The school promotes British values in many ways and the ethos of the school is central to this. It also understands that the school community has a duty to challenge those who fall below these standards. All acts of discrimination are challenged and logged by Heads of Year. Any acts of racism are monitored and logged by SLT and are reported to Governors. Serious incidents are referred, where appropriate, to the Channel programme as part of the Prevent Strategy.
- Humanities – see above topics.
- Personal Development promotes the identification of self and includes many aspects of the Equality Act 2010 as a benchmark for how students express their opinions and listen, with respect, to the opinions of others.