British Values

Promoting British Values at Bursley Academy

The DfE have recently reinforced the 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 have been reiterated this year. At Bursley Academy these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy

Each year the School Council representatives are chosen in a democratic vote by members of each class. Each class has one male and one female representative. The School Council meets regularly to discuss ideas and issues on a given agenda. We also look for our School Council to get together with other School Councils to share and discuss ideas. The school council writes its own action plan and is given money from the schools budget for improvement. The children have been involved in giving their thoughts to the learning environment and have helped to interview new members of staff. The school council has also completed work in the local community.

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws, whether they are those that govern the class, the school, or the country, is consistently reinforced at Bursley Academy. Pupils are taught from an early age the rules of the academy. These are our School Rules. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind rules and 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 Fire Service help reinforce this message. ‘Rules’, ‘Right are Wrong’ and ‘Laws’ are taught and embedded as part of the academy’s PHSE scheme of work which is delivered throughout the whole academy.

Individual Liberty

At Bursley Academy, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As an academy we educate and provide boundaries for young pupils to make informed choices, through a safe environment and an empowering education. Pupils are given the freedom to make choices, for example, whether it is through choice of challenge, or simply by choosing to participate in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities.

Mutual Respect

Part of our academy ethos and behaviour policy has revolved around Core Values, such as, 'Respect', and pupils have been part of discussions and assemblies related to what this means and how it is shown. The school ethos and aims promote respect for others and this is reiterated through our classroom and School Rules, as well as our behaviour policy. Bullying has been an area whereby the academy has placed a strong focus and provided children with a variety of assemblies and workshops to help them to reflect upon and understand the impact of bullying others.