Cranborne Primary School

Promoting British Values at Cranborne Primary School

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 and those without faith."

At Cranborne Primary these values are reinforced
regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy

At Cranborne, we understand the need for democracy within the school and promote pupil voice through our school Council. Children are elected into this role by their peers using an anonymous voting system to ensure a fair democratic process. Each class has their own representative and the elected members of year six are responsible for recording outcomes of the meetings as well as discussing these with the teaching staff. School council leaders have been taught to implement a ‘majority rule’ when voting on particular issues. This allows all opinions to be taken into consideration when making changes to our school. As part of our Eco-Schools Accreditation, we have an elected committee of representatives who champion local and school-based environmental issues. Parents have planned opportunities to voice their opinions through 'Parent Coffee Mornings' and regular questionnaires. The outcomes of these forums have been acted upon effectively, e.g. SRE parent feedback, report feedback and the homework policy. The children are also involved in the planning of our EPIC curriculum, giving their thoughts on what they would like to learn at the start of each topic to guide the teachers planning. The school councillors are also involved in making decisions about fundraising ideas and who the subsequent money is donated to. The whole school community including parents, children and staff work collaboratively to support local and national community events such as the Potters Bar Carnival, Harvest Festival, Children in Need and Comic Relief. 

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws, whether they are those that govern the class, the school, or the country, is consistently reinforced at Cranborne. Pupils are taught from an early age the rules of the school. These are our individual Class Charters, Playground Rules and Safety Rules. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind rules and laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Each year, the children decide upon their own class rules with their new teachers and the rights associated with these.  These charters are then written up and signed by each member of the team. Expectations for staff and students are reinforced regularly as well as opportunities to praise positive choices. Pupils modelling behaviour consistent with the school’s high expectation are regularly recognised and used as role models for others. Opportunities are provided regularly for children and staff to participate or spectate in sporting activities which represent good examples of fairness, rules and etiquette in sport. Extra-curricular clubs emphasise why rules and boundaries are necessary to ensure safety for all, in and out of our school. 

Individual Liberty

At Cranborne, 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 informed choices, empowering their independence in education. Pupils are given the freedom to make choices and become critical thinkers through evaluating, reflecting and collecting valid, reliable evidence to make good decisions. We encourage children to pursue their interests and talents through engagement with a wide variety of extra-curricular activities. We also talk to children about the concept of human rights in assemblies, PSHE lessons and teach them the importance of liberty and the effects of loss of liberty. Safeguarding our pupils is paramount and PSHE/ RSE and Online Safety lessons aim to equip pupils with the skills to make safe choices enabling them to become responsible citizens of our ever growing diverse community.

Mutual Respect

Our school ethos and behaviour policy revolves around the core value of ‘RESPECT’ where pupils have been part of discussions and assemblies related to what this means and how it is shown in lessons and around our school. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. High levels of mutual respect are obvious in and around the school, demonstrated daily in the excellent relationships between staff and pupils.  

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

Cranborne Primary is a diverse school. We actively promote diversity through our celebrations of different faiths, cultures and beliefs. Religious Education lessons and PSHE lessons reinforce messages of tolerance and respect for others. Members of different faiths and religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. During these lessons children have the opportunity to visit places of worship that are important to different faith communities. Members of different faiths and religions within our school family are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance understanding of others around our local community. Our Jigsaw PSHE scheme allows children to talk openly about their understanding of others and ensures stereotypes are challenged.