SS Aidan & Oswald RC Primary: British Values Statement

British Values & Gospel Values At our school we uphold and teach the British Values as directed by the new Ofsted guidance published in September 2014: “…ensure that they and the school promote tolerance of and respect for people of all faiths (or those of no faith), cultures and lifestyles; and support and help through their words, actions and influence within the school and more widely in the community, to prepare children and young people positively for life in modern Britain.” As a Catholic school we actively promote values, virtues and ethics that shape our pupils’ moral perspective and characters, through the teachings of Christ. We promote respect and tolerance for all cultures, faiths and lifestyles through our school vision, ethos, school rules, curriculum and teaching.

British Values & Gospel Values Our School Council have worked as a team to produce the following slides which they then used to deliver a whole school assembly. At this assembly, they explained the meaning of each British Value, explained how it links to our Gospel Values and gave examples of how we uphold these within our school community.

We have been learning about British Values and how these link to our understanding of Gospel Values. DEMOCRACY Britain is a democracy – this means that the people in Britain vote for the people who make the laws and decide how the country is run. If we didn’t have a democracy, just one person might be able to make all the laws and that would not be fair. We vote for who represents us on our various pupil voice groups: School Council, Green Ambassadors. We have a say in what happens in our school: Pupil Surveys, Pupil Led Ofsted. We help to decide which charities we would like to raise money for: Cafod, Cancer Care, The British Heart Foundation. We help develop school policies including those on behaviour and the aims of our school: The Mission Statement, Restorative Justice Approach.

We have been learning about British Values and how these link to our understanding of Gospel Values. The Rule of Law In Britain we have a Police Force who make sure people do not do the wrong thing and break the law – this means that we are safe. In our school, we learn about the importance of rules and we use Restorative Justice to help us resolve any difficulties as this allows us to show that we are sorry and to experience forgiveness. We have classroom rules Which we all try to follow. We support each other in Making good choices We take part in P4C sessions so that we can discuss BIG questions and learn more about the world we live in. We learn about the Ten Commandments and understand how these were given to us to help and guide us. We are rewarded for The good choices we make With: marble treats, Superstars treats and Postcards home.

We have been learning about British Values and how these link to our understanding of Gospel Values. Individual Liberty In Britain, as long as we don’t break the law, we can live freely. We can form our own opinions about things. In our school, we listen to the views of others and understand that our views may change as we learn more about the world that God created for us. We learn about fairness and equality and our responsibility to try to treat everyone in this way. We discuss what should happen when things go wrong and say “sorry” when we have We visit the Life Education Caravan to learn about our life choices. We sometimes lead assemblies either in Church or as part of themed weeks.

We have been learning about British Values and how these link to our understanding of Gospel Values. Respect & Tolerance In Britain and at our school, we understand that other people might hold different opinions or have different beliefs than ours. We might not always agree with other people, but we show respect for their thoughts and feelings. In our school, we give can give respect to others and we can expect other people to show us respect. We welcome visitors and show them respect. We use our manners and think carefully how we speak to each other. We learn about other beliefs. We understand the importance of peace for ourselves, our community and the world.

The Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 29 – 37) A man once said to Jesus, “I know that I should love God with all my heart, and love my neighbour too, but who is my neighbour?” Jesus told this story: one day a man was travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho, when a gang of robbers attacked him. They beat him up and after stealing everything he had, they left him lying injured by the roadside. A short time later, one of the Temple Priests passed that way, but he crossed over and walked on by. Soon another traveller came, but he too passed on. Then a Samaritan happened to pass and when he saw the injured man, he took pity on him. He bandaged his wounds and carried him on horseback to a nearby inn. There he cared for him and when the time came for him to leave, he left the innkeeper enough money to pay for the man’s room until he was better. Jesus then asked, “Which man in the story was a good neighbour?” “The one who helped the wounded traveller,” he answered. “Go then and do the same for anyone who needs your help,” said Jesus.

Prayers… We give thanks for the rich variety of personalities here in school. May we live together in harmony, respect each other, learn to give and take and grow in understanding and tolerance both of others and ourselves. AMEN Thank you, loving and caring Father, for everything that makes us happy. Thank you for music, song and laughter. Thanks for the good times with our friends, for the jokes and fun together. May we never laugh at people, but only with them. Fill each day, we pray, with the joy of knowing you and knowing the love of our family and friends. AMEN

Our Mission Statement. “I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full” John 10:10 John 10:10 Our Mission Statement fully supports British Values. It is firmly rooted in: