British Values

What being 'British' means to the children of SJA

British Values at Southwater Junior Academy

The DfE have recently 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.

At SJA we define these British values as: 

• democracy – the respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic process
• the rule of law – the respect for the basis on which law is made and applies in England
• support for equality of opportunity for all
• individual liberty - support and respect for the liberties of all within the law
• mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs  

At SJA we actively promote values, virtues and ethics that shape our pupils’ characters and moral perspectives. Whilst we may have specific lessons or assemblies that focus on the above aspects, it is the day-to-day relationships and culture of SJA that ensures that the above values are lived and breathed, and not just seen as an addition to our curriculum. 

Democracy 

Democracy is seen throughout the school. The importance of laws, whether they are those that govern the class, the school, or the country, is consistently reinforced throughout the regular school day. Their importance is also seen when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our Pupil Council, Charity Committee and pupil questionnaires (general, PE and ICT) . Pupils are elected by their peers for Pupil Council we also have Colour Captains in year 6. Whole School Assemblies have included topics such as democracy in the UK. Other forms of government such as apartheid; royalty and dictatorship are also explored with the children. As part of the Roman and Greek topics, pupils study Athenian democracy and Roman law.

Individual Liberty

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As anacademy we empower pupils to make choices safely, through the provision of boundaries and a safe environment. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our online safety and PSHE lessons. Whether it is through choice of challenge, of how they record learning, of participation in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices. 

Mutual Respect

Our ethos and behaviour policy is underpinned by our academy values and pupils are part of discussions and assemblies related to what this means and how it is shown. Posters around the school promote respect for others and this is reinforced through our classroom and learning rules, as well as through our behaviour policy.

​Our playground buddies are trained in peer mediation and are very effective at resolving minor playground issues. Our RE policy follows local guidance. During their primary school years our children will experience and learn about a variety of places of worship.
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Tolerance of Difference

This is achieved through enhancing pupils’ understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity.
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Assemblies and discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in RE and PSHE. 
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