British Values Statement

 

As part of our vision and commitment to enable all young people to believe, thrive and achieve their very best, we understand that character education is crucial to their development. We believe our students will thrive and achieve when they are the centre of their learning in a happy, caring and supportive environment, where the value of all individuals in our school community is celebrated.

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At Brook Green Centre for Learning we value the diverse backgrounds of all students, families and the wider school community. We aim to equip our students with the knowledge, skills and attributes they need for life in modern Britain. This is done through the effective spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our students and through the inclusion of collective assemblies; PSHEE and Citizenship lessons; extra-curricular and enrichment activities; the pastoral programme and work within our local community.

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British values permeate our curriculum, ethos, and a wide range of activities, along with our commitment to providing opportunities for our students to develop a strong moral foundation and to make a positive impact in their local community, Britain and beyond.

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We actively promote and complement the five fundamental British values identified by the Department for Education.

• Democracy

• The rule of law

• Individual liberty

• Mutual respect

• Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

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We teach our students the importance of being kind, compassionate and respectful to everyone that they meet, irrespective of their faith, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class or any other perceived differences. They meet people from a diverse spectrum of backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures, and are encouraged to embrace all that life in modern Britain has to offer. We also consider it essential for our staff to lead by example and exemplify and model.

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At Brook Green, we actively promote British values in the many different ways, for example:

 

Democracy

 

• The principle of democracy is explored during assemblies, in the wider curriculum and is

• embedded throughout the PSHEE and Citizenship schemes of work. For example we promote the election of the Plymouth Youth Parliament members with election assemblies supported by the Youth Services

• All students are encouraged to debate topics of interest, express their views and make a meaningful contribution to discussions

• Our school has an active school council, elected by the students. They have a student voice in the running of the school – there is a ‘you said, we did’ culture

• Students also have the opportunity to have their voices heard through student questionnaires and surveys

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Rule of Law

 

• We believe that our students learn best in an environment that is safe, secure and in which expectations of good behaviour is both encouraged and implicit

• We place especially high value on recognizing and rewarding socially co-operative behaviour, unselfish action and good manners. This is integral to the learning and ethos of our school

• There is a ‘house points’ system and recognition for showing good and caring behaviour and consistent demonstration of our values through such things as our celebration assemblies

• Students are always helped to distinguish right from wrong, in the classroom and in unstructured times

• Our school council is trained in restorative justice and work with students that have been identified as not behaving in a way that is acceptable to our school community

• Students are encouraged to respect the law and we have visits from the Police for example

• Our Behaviour, Online Safety and Anti-Bullying policies set out a zero tolerance baseline for any form of aggression, abuse or violence, which extends to our whole school community

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Individual Liberty

 

• Students are actively encouraged and given the freedom to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment eg. by signing up for after school activities

• Students are taught about the importance of making the right choices and are encouraged to take responsibility for their behaviour and actions, students know that there will be consequences to making ‘wrong’ choices

• Students are supported to develop their self-esteem and self-confidence holistically. They are taught about personal responsibility, choices, ambition and aspiration

• Students are taught how to keep themselves safe. This is through computing lessons, assemblies, Tutor time as well as through the PSHEE / Citizenship curriculum

• Stereotyping is challenged. A strong anti-bullying culture is embedded in the school and any form of bullying is challenged and addressed. The school also operates a robust system of logging incidents

• Students are encouraged to take on key roles and responsibilities in school eg. Sports Leaders, Mentors and School Council members

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Respect and tolerance

 

• Respect is a core value of our school. Through our day to day practice, students know and understand that it is expected that respect is shown to everyone in our school community

• The curriculum, visiting speakers and enrichment activities ensures that students are helped to acquire an understanding of and respect for their own and other cultures and ways of life and broaden their understanding of the traditions of different nations. We use international events for example to study and learn about the life and culture in other countries

• The school supports local, national and international charities chosen by the school council and tutor groups

• Staff and students are encouraged to challenge prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour

• Cultural appreciation and development forms part of our curriculum. We place great emphasis on providing encounters and participation in events and celebrations to broaden all students experiences and awareness of others

• Through the PSHEE, Humanities, Citizenship curriculum and our RE days students are encouraged to discuss and respect differences between people, such as differences of faith, ethnicity, disability, gender or sexuality and differences of family situations. We are a Stonewall school

• Staff have a secure knowledge of the Prevent Duty and our responsibilities within this.     

 

We encourage our students to live a life characterised and enriched by our school vision and we hope that these tenets will continue to inform their choices, actions, and behaviours long after they leave us, enabling them to make a positive impact on society.