The Department for Education state that there is a 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 by the Prime Minister in 2014. At OBA these values are reinforced regularly and in a range of ways.
These values are taught explicitly as part of the curriculum through both Personal Social Health Education programme and through our planned programme of tutor activities and the programme of assemblies over the year supports students developing an understanding of what it means to be British.
The Academy takes opportunities to actively promote British Values through our whole school systems and structures such as electing and running a successful House and Academy student leaders. We also actively promote the British Values through ensuring our curriculum planning and delivery includes real opportunities for exploring these values which challenge students, staff or parents’ thinking.
At OBA we uphold and teach students about British Values which are defined as:
Democracy is an important value at our school. Students have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our House/Academy council. The elections of members of the School Council are based on student votes. The students worked together with SLT to generate and agree a set of expectations which we all at OBA actively work and live by. These expectations are available in each the building and each classroom and are actively used by students and adults to influence others’ behaviour.
The importance of laws and rules, whether they are those that govern the class, the school or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days. Students are taught the value and reasons behind 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 PCSOs are regular and help reinforce this message.
Within school, students 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 our students to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment, a planned curriculum and an empowering education. Students are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our e-safety teaching and PD lessons. Students are given the freedom to make choices, e.g. signing up for extracurricular clubs and choose the level of challenge in some lessons.
Respect is one of the core values of our school. This can be seen and felt in our pervading ethos in school. The students know and understand that it is expected and imperative that respect is shown to everyone, whatever differences we may have and to everything, however big or small. Values are highly visible around the school and can be seen in posters, certificates and as part of our agreed expectations in terms of student behaviour.
This is achieved through enhancing students’ understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity in our local community. Assemblies and discussions involving prejudices and prejudiced-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in PSHE and in the pastoral curriculum.
We celebrate ‘European Day of Languages’ as a whole school encouraging children to research and discover differences and similarities between us and our European neighbours. We employ teachers, teaching assistants and support staff who have English as an Additional Language and bring a varied cultural experience to Ormiston Bushfield Academy.