British Values
Promoting British Values at Westwood Farm Schools Federation
Our work on British Values is part of our Values work using the Westwood Way - please see our page on Vision and Values for more information.
At Westwood Farm we value the diverse ethnic backgrounds of all pupils and families and undertake a variety of events and lessons to celebrate these. In addition to the themes developed through assemblies and in reaction to normal everyday events, our curriculum underpins and supports the promotion of traditional British values.
Children and families regularly support and often initiate school involvement in raising awareness and money for charitable causes showing their values for people different to themselves.
Democracy
Democracy is demonstrated through various means. The pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council and Pupil questionnaires and interviews on a range of school related issues including the nature of the learning they receive. Children can choose to follow the electoral process to become a School Councillor - being elected to represent their peers. In KS2, the children have participated in a UK Parliament Outreach program to increase their awareness of how they can be active citizens, both now and in the future.
The Rule of Law
The importance of laws underpins the daily life of the school. The children help to select class rules and fully understand and contribute to the behaviour consequences and rewards used within the school. Pupils are taught the reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. This process is demonstrated through the systems used in school which are frequently revisited in class and assemblies where they are linked to life in general. Visits from authorities such as the Police serve to reinforce this.
Individual Liberty
Within school pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As schools we educate and provide boundaries for pupils within which they can make choices. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advise how to exercise these safely, for example through our e-safety work and within the PSHE curriculum. Whether it is through the choice of challenge, how they record their work, participation in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities - pupils are given freedom to make choices.
Mutual Respect
Our school ethos and Therapeutic Thinking behaviour policy has developed through the concept of mutual respect, and pupils have been part of discussions and assemblies related to what this means and how it is demonstrated in daily life.
Tolerance of Others' Faith and Beliefs
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 and discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in R.E and PSHE. Members of different faiths and religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance the learning within classes.
Through many means, (some of which are firmly established within the life of the schools and others which are as a reaction to events in the world), our pupils learn to understand what it means to be British within their ever changing multi-cultural world.
