Promoting British Values

The Department for Education 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.”

The Government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy. These values were reiterated in 2014 and we are continuing this.

The British values are:-

Democracy
The Rule of Law
Individual Liberty
Mutual Respect
Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

At Mount Hawke Academy, these values are reinforced regularly.

Through our provision, we aim to:

Enable children to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence.
Enable children to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England.
Encourage children to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and to understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality of the school and to society more widely.
Enable children to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England.
Develop further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling children to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures.
Encourage respect for other people.
Encourage respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic processes, including respect for the basis on which the law is made and applied in England.

By the time children leave Mount Hawke Academy, we aim for children to have:

An understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process.
An appreciation that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and is essential for their wellbeing and safety.
An understanding that there is a separation of power between the executive and the judiciary, and that while some public bodies such as the police and the army can be held to account through Parliament, others such as the courts maintain independence.
An understanding that the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law.
An acceptance that other people having different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour.
An understanding of the importance of identifying and combatting discrimination.

The document below gives a brief overview of how British values are celebrated at Mount Hawke Academy through the curriculum we deliver and the wider democratic approach we adopt towards ‘Pupil Voice’ through the School Council and other strategies.

British Values Curriculum Statement.pdf