British Values Statement
Promoting British Values at our school:
At Robert Mellors we aim to create an environment where our children develop into individuals that believe in tolerance and respect, who can make their own choices and understand that laws are an important aspect of the society we live in.
We promote “British Values” through our spiritual, moral, social and cultural education which permeates through the school’s curriculum and supports the development of “the whole child”. As a staff we provide a model of behaviour for our pupils to demonstrate our strong belief in these values and attitudes.
At Robert Mellors these values are reinforced regularly in the flowing ways:
Democracy:
Communication is a vital aspect of learning and we work hard to ensure that our pupils feel that they have a “voice” to communicate their feelings and beliefs.
We begin to develop this by working in our classrooms to encourage children to share ideas, make choices and respond to the comments of others It is important that we foster an environment where children know that they are safe to disagree with each other and know how to get across their views and opinions in a respectful and confident manner.
The empowerment of our pupils is also stretched across the school to ensure that ALL children’s voices are heard. This opportunity is provided through our School Council, which is made up of two elected representatives from each class (Y2-6). The children also vote for a Head girl and boy, who are role models for school. Pupil questionnaires and interviews are often used to gauge our children’s views and opinions of the way the school works. Many of the areas developed in school have been designed and created using the ideas of our pupils to give them a sense of ownership and pride in the environment in which they learn.
The Rule of Law:
The importance of laws, whether they be those governed by the class, the school or the country are reinforced throughout our curriculum and clearly a vital aspect of dealing with behaviour in and around school.
Our Assertive Mentoring Behaviour Policy has the principle of making the right choices at its core. Staff are committed to promoting a consistent and predictable environment where pupils feel safe and secure. Children are taught as they enter our school that they have choices to make and there are rewards or sanctions depending on these choices. Children learn to take the responsibility for their own choices. Visits from authorities like the Police, the Fire Brigade and the local Neighbourhood Watch help to reinforce this message.
Individual Liberty:
Each and every pupil in our school are VIPS. We create an environment where they are Valued, Included, Proud and Safe. We do this by supporting each pupil to become as independent as possible. They know that everyone has rights and that this includes the right to say “No” where appropriate. The choices that our pupils are encouraged to make can be within the classroom, choosing who to work with or how to record their work or they can stretch further afield, taking on wider responsibilities or choosing to join one of our many extra-curricular clubs. We support many local community events and charites such as Red Nose Day or Children in Need.
Mutual Respect:
We aim to ensure that children in our school feel included in all aspects of school life and the respect of others is a key message that we discuss through assemblies, circle time, PSHE lessons and class discussions. Our behaviour policy promotes respect of ourselves and others and we model an environment of mutual respect within our staff. It is important to us to promote our sense of community within our school by involving pupils, families and staff in many events throughout the year and inviting parents to experience school life through our open mornings. We also promote the respect of others through our inclusion in community events.
Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:
Cultural appreciation and development forms an important part of our curriculum. We aim to create an environment where each person is respected and valued equally without regard to ability, gender, faith, heritage or race.
Learning about different faiths and beliefs in the classroom is followed up by assemblies and the opportunities to meet people of different faiths and religions. Themes in assemblies cover areas such as friendships, helping others, celebrations from different faiths and World Wide events.
The staff work closely with parents, carers and other professionals to ensure that the pupils at Robert Mellors Primary and Nursery School are happy, well cared for and able to learn the skills that they need to live a happy and fulfilling life as part of their community.
