At Tower Road Academy, we value the diversity of the backgrounds of all pupils, families and the wider school community and strongly believe in upholding British values through all aspects of our school provision.

The DofE states 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”.

Our school reflects British values in all that we do. We aim to nurture our children on their journey through life so they can grow into safe, caring, democratic, responsible and tolerant adults who make a positive difference to British society and to the world and the wider world.

What is meant by British values?

Learning about British values forms a key part of children’s spiritual, moral, cultural and social education. The five British values that the Government has identified for schools to focus on are:

• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual respect
• Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

How does our school develop children’s understanding of British values?

We uphold the British value of Democracy by:

• giving opportunities for all pupils to be heard through whole class, group and paired discussions.
• voting democratically in class and whole school events, such as School Parliament and House Ambassadors.
• teaching about the democratic process in Britain, at both a local and national level. 
• taking turns in class, at dinner time and in after school clubs
• pupils help decide which charities we should raise money for and how money raised for our school should be spent. 
• we help develop classroom rules and are involved in discussions about our safety in and out of school. 
• children are taught about democratic procedures through PSHE lessons or other areas of the curriculum.

We uphold the British value of the Rule of Law by:

• pupils help to develop rules for the class and school.
• teaching pupils about their rights as a child, including the UNICEF Rights of the Child. 
• having visits from the local police force who talk to pupils about the law and how to stay safe.
• teaching pupils age-appropriate laws in workshops from outside agencies, such online safety (EYFS to Year 6), domestic abuse and drug and alcohol awareness.
• assemblies teach children about rules outside of school, e.g., road safety.
• implementing Class Charters which have clear and agreed statements and ensuring that the children know their own right and respect the rights of others.
• teaching children to learn about the process of law-making and the part that citizens can play in that process.
• implementing our procedures and protocols for dealing with any behavioural or bullying issues and the very rare incidents of racial, homophobic and other forms of discrimination, which demonstrates to pupils that we take these issues very seriously, mirroring the attitudes of British society.

We uphold the British value of individual liberty by:

• providing pupils regular opportunities to have their voice heard, to feel comfortable to express their views.
• teaching an understanding of the concept of freedom and choice.
• teaching children an understanding of human rights, in particular the UNICEF rights of the child, through assemblies and class lessons.
• providing our extra-curricular provision, which offers equal opportunities for all children, boys and girls, and children with Special Educational Needs in sport and the arts. We remove barriers to inclusion. 
• children have key roles and responsibilities within school, such as Playground Buddies, House Ambassadors and monitors.
• all pupils are encouraged to make the right choices with regards to their behaviour and safety whether that is in school, out of school or online.
• we educate and provide boundaries for pupils to make choices safely

We uphold the British value of mutual respect by:

• ensuring classroom discussions are respectful, particularly on sensitive topics
• knowing pupils are safe in school
• encouraging different points of view and ensuring all pupils can freely express their faith, feelings and values in an environment of mutual respect.
• representing equality, diversity and inclusion throughout the curriculum; pupils learn about differences in race, religion and family backgrounds.
• teaching values of mutual respect in PSHE through specific units on relationships and being a responsible citizen.
• welcoming all visitors into school.
• promoting an attitude of equality and fairness in all curriculum areas.
• Playground Buddies promote mutual respect during playtime between children of different age groups
• teaching pupils to work together in groups to support each other
• holding discussions in RE, English and other subjects, which allow children to develop respect for the opinions, values and beliefs of others
• training staff to deliver information about keeping safe on the internet to all pupils and holding information sessions for parents about this. 

We uphold the British value of tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs by:

• representing different faiths and beliefs throughout our broad curriculum, giving opportunity to teach the value of understanding, tolerance and respect for others, including those of other faiths.
• actively celebrating the different faiths and beliefs of pupils within school.
• regularly teaching difference, tolerance and respect through our Jigsaw PSHE curriculum
• our R.E. curriculum provides a broad and balanced education on a range of faiths, religions and cultures.
• authorising time out of school to celebrate religious festivals; these experiences are then shared with other children during circle time/class discussions.
• providing prayer spaces in school. These are particularly used by pupils celebrating Eid. 

In all our provision, both academic and otherwise, we endeavour for our school community to develop an understanding of British values and a strong desire to uphold them both now and as future British citizens.