Promoting British Values
The DfE frequently reinforce 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 were reiterated in 2014.
Promoting fundamental British values – November 2014 (DfE)
At Pitcheroak we promote ‘British Values’ through our spiritual, moral, social and cultural education that is firmly embedded throughout our curriculum and helps to support the holistic development of all our children.
We believe in treating everyone as individuals. We value the diverse ethnic backgrounds of all pupils and families and celebrate this through various events during the year such as themed assemblies and special days such as the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee (May 2022).
Democracy
We recognise the importance of communication for all pupils and we endeavour to give them all a way to communicate. We ensure all pupils are given opportunities to make choices about the things that they believe are important. We value each child’s communication whatever the method.
We have a School Council and members of this group are elected every year. Meetings are held and decisions made influence many aspects of school improvement.
Rule of law
At Pitcheroak good behaviour is an expectation. Staff provide a consistent approach throughout the day and help pupils to understand that actions have consequences. We have a pastoral support worker who liaises with the Positive Behaviour Team to support positive behaviour management strategies. The pastoral support worker supports in class and offers advice and strategies to staff and parents/ carers about pupils where behaviour gives cause for concern. We support pupils and class teams with individual behaviour plans and risk reduction plans if necessary.
Our pupils’ safety is paramount and our school environment and culture enables our pupils to feel happy safe and secure.
Individual Liberty
Throughout their time at Pitcheroak we encourage pupils to become as independent as possible and to become valued members of their community.
We provide a caring and nurturing environment which enables all pupils to develop their confidence and self‐esteem. We support others by taking part in both Local and National Fundraising activities such as Macmillan, Children in Need, Sport Relief and Comic Relief.
Mutual Respect
At Pitcheroak we respect everyone within our community and beyond. This can be seen throughout the school day in all activities and locations around school.
Our pupils’ work and interact with a variety of different people not just within school but by accessing the wider community including other pupils from other schools, theatre groups, visiting practitioners, or by attending sporting events or educational visits off-site. We have an extremely comprehensive range of enrichment opportunities that are tracked and monitored on a fortnightly basis.
We believe that education extends beyond the school building and facilitate opportunities for our pupils to frequently access their local community. We also encourage our parents/ carers to be part of the school life as much as they are able to.
Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs
Pitcheroak is a diverse community and we value and respect everyone within our community regardless of their age, ability, race, gender, faith or culture.
We celebrate diversity by providing curricular opportunities to broaden our pupils’ experiences and awareness of others. Opportunities to celebrate and learn about other faiths is clearly outlined in our long term curriculum plan.
Our assemblies encourage our pupils to find out about other cultures and communities as well as their own. They follow themes which include helping others, friendships and working together. We also celebrate national and world events as well as religious festivals from a variety of cultures.
At Pitcheroak we work closely with parents/ carers and other professionals to ensure that our pupils are happy, well cared for and are equipped with the skills they need to live a fulfilling life as part of their community.
