We have a duty to prepare the children of HedworthLanePrimary School for life in modern Britain.
The DfE have 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 the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values have been reiterated in 2014 by the DfE and form part of the Ofsted inspection process.
At HedworthLaneSchoolthese values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:
Democracy
Democracy is embedded within our school. Children have many opportunities for their voices to be heard.
School Council
Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council. The School Council is also the public face of our school representing the school at events throughout the year. The School Council meets regularly to discuss issues raised in school.
The council has its own budget and is able to genuinely effect change within the school. The elections of the pupil council are based solely on pupil votes.
Eco Council
We also elect members to the Eco-Council who oversee our recycling aims. Any funding raised is spent by the Eco-Council.
StampsGuide Dogs for the BlindCharitable donation
Plastic wipes packetsLocal charityCharitable donation
Household electrical itemsLocal authority recycling Funds raised for school
Used clothesRag-BagFunds raised for school
BatteriesLocal authority recycling Environmental impact
Arts Council
The Arts Council is made up of elected representatives who represent the schools drive to balance the values of the core curriculum with the Arts curriculum.
Artsmark SilverAwarded January 2008
ArtsmarkAwarded October 2014
Year 6 children complete a leaver’s questionnaire with which they are able to put forward their views about the school from a position of being able to look back on their experiences. This can be submitted named or anonymously. The questions are the same as those found on the Ofsted Parent View site. Early Years pupils complete their on entry questionnaire at the end of their first term. The questions are similar.
School assemblies reflect democratic principles and values. In national Democracy Week or at the time of elections there will be an assembly focussing on the political process such as the ballot, political parties, local government and national government. Specific local and national issue will be a point of focus such as proportional representation, Scottish independence and the European Union. An annual school assembly invites the head boy and girl from the neighbouring secondary school to discuss their role within their school and the principles by which they are elected.
On an annual basis the Year 5 pupils visit the seat of local government, meet with the Mayor, meet our Local Councillor Governor, have a tour of the council chambers and participate in a mock council vote within the chamber similar to the process the local elected members would operate.
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 and Fire Service and the local judiciary help reinforce this message.
The Fire Service makes an annual visit to school in Year 1&5 and in Year 3&4 pupils visit a local fire service.One of the aims is to ensure pupils recognise there are consequences, sometimes criminal, to misbehaviour such as fire starting and hoax calls. In Year 5 our annual Police visit focuses on offending behaviour and local officers will use a power point to discuss age of criminality and consequences. (See PP) In Year 6 all our pupils receive a visit from a local magistrate and in turn visit the magistrate’s court. They will debate criminal behaviour and sentencing, visit the police cells and enact a mock trial.
Citizenship
Citizenship is encouraged through the house point reward system, the prefect system, being a school buddy, the young leaders support group and charitable giving.
House Points
House points are rewarded for acts of citizenship rather than academic excellence. Examples of rewardable behaviour are displayed in class and school. Every half term our local community police officers are invited to assembly to give out citizenship awards in a special assembly. The photographs of our good citizens are displayed.
School Prefects
All Year 6 pupils are included as a school prefect. All have specific daily and weekly responsibilities.
School Playground Buddies
A group of 16 Year 6 pupils act as buddies in the KS1 and KS2 school yard to other pupils.
Young Leaders
Year 5 pupils volunteer to be young leaders of playground games in school yard areas.
Charitable Giving
The Council has overarching responsibility for all charitable work, raising money and goods to support local, regional, national and international charities. These include:
Breast Cancer Awareness National£192
The Churches Together Key Project LocalHarvest produce
The People’s KitchenRegionalHarvest produce
The British Legion Poppy AppealNational-
Children in NeedNational£405
Samaritans’ Purse, Operation Christmas ChildInternational59 boxes
Comic ReliefInternational£712
Operation Turn on the TapInternational£105
Sport ReliefNational£357
In addition our school choir have been selected to sing at the citizenship ceremony at the town hall.
We often focus on past pupil Thomas Young V.C. who a private in the 9th Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry, and British Army during the First World War and as a stretcher bearer was awarded his medal for gallantry and courage. We remember Thomas Young every armistice day.
School assemblies frequently emphasise our duty as good citizens to stand up to bullying, challenge inequality and fight poverty by supporting charitable organisations.
Individual Liberty
At HedworthLaneSchool, 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 safely, through provision of a safe environment and empowering education.
Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons. Whether it is through choice of learning challenge, of how they record, of participation in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices.
In Year 6 pupils engage in the Reducing Accidents at Play, or RAP event. The event is supported by the emergency services including the Coast Guard, health services, public utility companies and transport companies. The event is to support pupils in staying safe by reducing risk taking behaviour.
Mutual Respect
At HedworthLaneSchoolmutual respect is at the heart of our values. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community treat each other with respect.School assemblies help promote respect for others and this is reiterated through our classroom and learning rules, as well as our behaviour policy.
School rules, in conjunction with house points, support our pupils to make good choices for themselves and the way they relate to each other.
Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs
HedworthLaneSchoolis situated in an area which is not greatly culturally diverse; therefore we place a great emphasis on promoting diversity with the children. 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 are regularly planned to address this issue either directly or through the inclusion of stories and celebrations from a variety of faiths and cultures. Our RE and PSHE teaching reinforce this. Children visit places of worship that are important to different faiths.
At HedworthLaneSchoolwe will actively challenge pupils, staff or parents expressing opinions contrary to fundamental British Values, including racial intolerance and ‘extremist’ views. Our Year 6 pupils engage with Show Racism the Red Card each year.
In recent years we have linked our Y2 and Y3 pupils to schools with high levels of cultural diversity. We value the spoken languages of those children for whom English is an additional language and we support the important acquisition of English with additional support, whilst celebrating achievement in cultural languages other than English through the Asset Languages Programme.
We value the diverse ethnic backgrounds of all pupils and families and undertake a variety of events and lessons to celebrate these. We have found this approach to be enriching for all parties as it teaches tolerance and respect for the differences in our community and the wider world. Underpinning all this, are a range of curriculum topics which have strong links to British History.
For example, Key Stage 1 study significant figures and events in British history with particular reference to Florence Nightingale, her impact of her life on nursing and The Great Fire of London examining the cause of and the effect of the fire. Key Stage 2 study Tudor life, noting the differences between the Tudor period and the present. Pupils will also study of Henry VIII and his six wives.
As a whole school we celebrate traditional events in the calendar and engage in traditional activities such as pancake making at Lent and performing a Nativity at Christmas. We have celebrated the World Cup and the Olympics, with Olympic themed sports days, competitions to design sports kits and opportunities to learn about the history of Olympians in this country.
In recent years, we celebrated the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II with special assemblies, themed lessons and our school choir welcomed the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to a local sports stadium. Our head teacher and a member of our school council met the Queen and her husband.
On a general level, the school undertakes twice weekly assemblies which uphold traditional values of empathy, respect and tolerance. These are also taught within SEAL, PSHE and RE lessons and on an informal nature throughout the school days.