Modern British Values are a key part of our curriculum and learning at Harrietsham Church of England Primary School.  We value and celebrate the diverse heritages and cultural traditions of everybody at our school. Alongside this, we value and celebrate being part of Britain, celebrating British traditions and customs.  British values are integral to so many countries throughout the world.  Our children are taught about modern British Values and them see them as important values for all relationships.

As part of this, learning promotes the fundamental British values of: democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

 Our learning enables pupils to;

• Develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence;

• Distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England;

• Take 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;

• Acquire a broad general knowledge of, and respect for, public institutions and services in England;

• Promote tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling students 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.

We aim to teach the British Values in a way that primary-aged children can understand and empathise with. For example, in electing our School Action Squad, we actively experience democracy by individually voting for class representatives who have stood for election and presented their manifesto on how they will represent their peers.  In addition, the British values are integral to our school ethos and therefore are promoted in so much of what we do;

• School Worship Assemblies (including celebration worship, class worship and whole school worship);

• Topic Learning and our wider curriculum;

• Promotion of PSHCE and Life Skills;

• Our approach to nurture and to behaviour and relationships;

• Election and running of School Action Squad, Sports Leaders, OPAL Play Rangers, etc.

As a result of our school promoting fundamental British values, our pupils acquire the following understanding and knowledge;

• 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; and

• An understanding of the importance of identifying and combatting discrimination.

As well as actively promoting British values, we would actively challenge pupils, staff, parents or visitors expressing opinions contrary to these fundamental British values, including ‘extremist’ views.  Schools are subject to a duty (Section 26, Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015) to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. This duty is known as the Prevent duty. Please read the government’s Prevent duty guidance and its guidance for schools.