We have been a Values school for over five years and a core set of values are at the heart of our curriculum and ethos. These values are displayed, taught and promoted throughout the school and throughout each academic year. They underpin our work as a school and very effectively reinforce all aspects of British values education.

Promoting British Values

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, and these values were reiterated in 2014.

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

Democracy
Each year,  the children decide upon their class routines and the rights associated with these. All the children contribute to the drawing up of the routines. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council. The election of two class representatives is organised through pupil vote from each year group, from Year 1 – 6, for those pupils who wish to stand for office. The Chair and Vice Chair of the School Council are elected from Year 6, following candidates taking the opportunity to campaign throughout the school for one week. Each candidate has the opportunity to make a speech which gives them a chance to explain why they wish to be elected and how they would like to lead the Council. The council is genuinely able to effect change within the school, for example, they make decisions about fund-raising and pass on pupils’ views to the Senior Leadership Team in order to bring about change.

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced at Davyhulme Primary School. Pupils are taught from an early age the rules of the school. There are our class golden rules, playground rules and e-safety procedures. 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. Visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service help reinforce this message.

These are our rules which are consistently applied in all phases of our school:

Golden Rules (moral values)

• Do be gentle, don’t hurt anybody.
• Do be kind and helpful, don’t hurt people’s feelings.
• Do be honest, don’t cover up the truth.
• Do work hard, don’t waste time.
• Do look after property, don’t waste or damage things.
• Do listen to people, don’t interrupt.

Our Playground Golden Rules

• We are kind, gentle and helpful.
• We are always honest.
• We are polite and respectful to everyone.
• We listen.
• We take care of our playground equipment.
• We ask children on their own if they’d like to join in.

Our Happy Playground Routines

• When we hear the whistle, we stand still.
• We ask permission to go inside.
• We keep within the football boundaries.
• We play together and look after each other.
• We tell an adult if we feel sad or lonely.
• We give equipment to the Playground Friends at the end of playtime.

Our Dining Hall Rules

• We follow instructions straight away.
• We line up quietly.
• We walk in the dining hall.
• We finish what we are eating before we speak.
• We remember to say ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’.
• We put our hands up to ask to leave.
• We talk quietly to the people next to us.
• We are polite and respectful.

Individual Liberty

At Davyhulme Primary School, 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, through a safe environment and an empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our e-safety lessons, values lessons and assemblies. Whether it be through choice of challenge or working partners, choice of how they record their work, or choice of participation in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make a wide range of choices. A recurring theme that we discuss is how empowering education can be and that it provides us with choices.

Mutual Respect

Respect is a core value within which are school ethos and behaviour policy are rooted. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. Through class, year group and whole school activities and discussions pupils have a good understanding of what respect means and how it is shown. Our class and school rules and our behaviour policy thoroughly reinforce this ethos. Visitors to our school also reinforce the importance of respect.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

Davyhulme Primary School is a diverse school. We actively promote diversity through our celebrations of different faiths and cultures. Religious Education lessons and PSHE/Values 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. The children also visit places of worship that are important to different faiths.

Discussions in RE and PSHE/Values lessons, at an age appropriate level, give pupils opportunities to consider the reasons for and consequences of religious and racial intolerance and prejudice-based bullying.