British Values

At Westwoodside Church of England Academy we are proud that our school ethos and culture enables children to achieve and develop into responsible, respectful and thoughtful children who are well-equipped to make a positive difference to their community and wider world. We actively promote each of the British values through our curriculum long term planning, collective worship, assemblies and our RE and PSHE curriculum. The children access a programme of discreet British Values lessons which address each of these five core values.The government states that all schools are required to ensure that they promote the fundamental British values. These are defined as:

·       Democracy

·       The rule of law

·       Individual liberty

·       Mutual respect

·       Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

Democracy

Children at Westwoodside Church of England Academy play an increasing role in leadership of our school.    

  • Children offer their opinions about School Council projects via class and school council.
  • School council members are democratically elected each academic year.
  • Well Being Amabssadors, School Council Leads are elected to their roles.
  • School Questionnaires

We endeavour to ensure that children have the knowledge that no matter how small they are they have the ability to make a difference.

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws, whether they are those that govern the class, the school, or the wider community, is consistently reinforced at Westwoodside Church of England Academy. Our children are taught the value and reasons behind rules and laws and how they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Our Behaviour policy is centred around Restorative Practice, which teaches children to take responsibility for their behaviour and to repair relationships following any incidents.

 

In our school our school standards are simple and centre on Christian Values.

Children have an understanding of the Rule of Law by accessing the following experiences.

  • A Class Charter is set out at the start of the school year and rules are consistently applied across the school. Children learn to understand that they have rights but that along with rights come responsibilities.
  • All members of staff uphold, model and reinforce our rules and deliver this within the Staff Code of Conduct.
  • The Home/ School agreement is signed annually in the new school planners.
  • Visits from people in authority reinforce the need for rules e.g. the local PCSO, Police Officers (July 2023) School Nurse Water Safety Team and Railway Safety (May 2023),
  • We work, where possible, with local organisations to support local issues e.g. the Parish Council Coronation events and D Day Community Events (June 2024)
  • Pupils learn about the law in different aspects of the curriculum e.g. laws of the road during Cycling (Bikeability) and Pedestrian skills training ( April 2024 )

Individual Liberty

Within school, our pupils are actively encouraged to make responsible choices. As a school we enable all pupils to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and an empowering education.

 

Pupils are encouraged to know and understand their rights and personal freedoms; they are advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons.

 

Making the right choices and being forgiven are key Christian Values and enable children to try again if they do make the wrong choice. A language of choices is used across the school to reinforce expectations.

  • Through Collective Worship Heroes of Faith children learn  stories about people who have fought for liberty or fought for the liberty of others e.g. Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tu Tu. They also learn about cultural events which have impacted on the liberty of our nation e.g Women’s Vote and the Abolition of Slavery.
  • Through our Remembrance service pupils commemorate the world wars on an annual basis and they sell and wear poppies. Older children learn about the impact of the war on our lives today. Each Year our Year 6 and the school council attended the Remembrance Day service at the local war memorial.
  • Pupils learn about UNICEF’s rights of the child through Collective worship. Links are also made when we consider charity fund raising for those in need locally and internationally Operation Christmas Child.

Mutual Respect

Mutual respect is a core Christian Value and as such underpins every aspect of life in our school. Mutual respect is at the heart of our values. All of our pupils are taught the importance of respect for self and others. 'Restorative Practice' is employed throughout the school to enable pupils to reflect on their behaviours and learn that these have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community treat each other with respect. Adults throughout the school model and promote respect for others. This is reiterated through our school standards  and our behaviour.

 

“Westwoodside School is an inclusive, compassionate and caring community where everyone is valued and nurtured as the unique person “ SIAMS 2022

 

"Pupils are valued and their voice is heard. They live out the school’s vision and values through care for each other, social action and opportunities to challenge injustice. Through this, this school stands as a beacon of love and hope in the community” SIAMS 2022

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

Westwoodside Church of England Academy is situated in an area which is not greatly culturally diverse, therefore we place a great emphasis on promoting diversity with the children. Assemblies promote an understanding of different faiths and cultures through stories, celebrations and visitors to the school. We have worked to develop our reading provision so that children are able to meet characters from different faiths and beliefs.

As of 2022 our school now has a link with a local town school whose children come from many faiths and cultures. This partnership with Scunthorpe Church of England Primary finds us meeting with each other across the year and writing to each other when not able to meet in person. 

Recent monitoring of RE by governors and senior leaders is accurate and astute, identifying clear areas for development. Visitors from several faiths respectfully enrich the curriculum.