British Values

At Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School, British Values are promoted through curriculum design, high-quality teaching, a rounded programme of class-led and whole-school assemblies and through our positive behaviour policy. Our PSHE / RSE programme is a key driver for enabling children to develop into model citizens who want to make our school, community and world a better place for all.

As directed by the Department for Education, schools have a duty to actively 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. These values were first set out by the government in the ‘Prevent’ strategy in 2011. In November 2014, schools were required to have a strategy for embedding these values and showing how their work with pupils has been effective in doing so. 

At Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School we uphold and teach pupils about British Values which are defined as: 

• Democracy

This includes opportunities for our pupils to apply for pupil leadership roles such as our School Parliament. Children understand the importance of democratic voting as part of school elections.

• The Rule of Law

Through our positive behaviour policies and approaches, from their first day at school, children are taught the importance of following our rules and expectations. This prepares them for their next stage in education and for later life.

• Individual Liberty

Our children are taught about the importance of freedom of choice and their right to make personal decisions about their life, friends, hobbies, and faith. They know about their freedom of expression and ability to share opinions and ideas (such as through speech or writing) while respecting the rights of others. They are taught about freedom with responsibility, where the core rule is that personal freedom is not absolute—choices must not hurt, bully, or discriminate against other people.

• Mutual Respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

 Our Catholic values drive all that we do in school. Children are taught about other faiths and beliefs and the importance of respect for all through dedicated units of learning as well as through carefully chosen texts. As Catholic school, we welcome everyone.