British Values and SMSC
British Values and Spiritual, Moral, Social and Culteral Education
At Warlingham Village Primary School, we aim for all children to grow, learn and flourish academically and, as part of their wider education, to be contributing members of society. Our role is to ensure that we promote and reinforce British values and SMSC to our children.
The government reiterated their definition of British values in 2014. This is closely linked to the requirement to provide spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all of our pupils. At Warlingham Village Primary School these values are embedded regularly through daily experiences and interactions with staff, parents and pupils and through as many curriculum areas as possible. We explicitely plan for these opportunties in our life skills curriculum.
Below are some of the examples that illustrate how we seek to embed British values at this school. They are not an exhaustive list.
Democracy
At Warlingham Village Primary School, the principle of democracy is reinforced through democratic decision-making by the children. Elections are held to elect House Captains and School Councillors. The school council is also responsible for initiating part of the School Development Plan and for holding the school to account for its implementation. Each class decides on its charter to support the principles of good learning and behaviour.
The Rule of Law
The importance of laws, whether they are those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout the school as a recognition of the rights of the school community to be respected and be able to learn without disruption. Children 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. We have visits from the Police and the Fire Service as an important part of our curriculum to help reinforce this message.
Individual Liberty
At Warlingham Village Primary School, children are actively encouraged to make independent choices, knowing that they are in a safe, secure and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide the environment for children to make choices safely. Children are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms under the Unicef’s ‘’Rights Respecting Schools Award’ (RRSA). They receive education on their rights and responsibilities through the curriculum.
Mutual Respect
Respect is the core of our school ethos and is modelled by children and staff alike. The school promotes self- respect and respect for others and these are taught through our classroom and learning environments under the ‘Calm School Code’ and the over-arching ‘Rights Respecting Schools Award’. In line with our commitment to democracy children are always able to voice their opinions and we have created an environment where children are able to voice their concerns and also are safe to disagree with each other.
Tolerance of Those of Different Faiths and Beliefs
The school community reflects a number of different cultures, faiths and beliefs. Through the school curriculum we educate the children to understand their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity in the school community. Children are encouraged to share their faith and beliefs within the school. Our Religious Education curriculum follows Surrey County Council’s Religious Education policy and is part of a broad and balanced curriculum that educates children about a range of faiths, religions and cultures.
We have zero tolerance to those who discriminate against people of different cultures, faiths or beliefs.
