Hamstel Junior School is committed to serving its community and surrounding areas. We recognise the multicultural, multi-faith nature of the United Kingdom and understand the crucial role our school plays in promoting our Nation’s values. We encourage admissions from all those entitled to education under British law regardless of faith, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, political or financial status. We are a school for all. This statement outlines the key British values we actively promote.

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Our Core Values reflect the underlying principles of our British Values

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The Right to be Safe

The Right to Respect

The Right to Learn

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The notion of British Values and the requirement to be explicit about how we teach this body of understanding comes from the 2011 Counter Terrorism Prevent Strategy and is completely in line with the requirements of the SMSC curriculum (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural), which is derived through the expectations of the New National Curriculum that schools will offer a curriculum which promotes the…

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‘…spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils…prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life…and makes provision for personal, social, health and economic education.’

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British Values lie under five headings.

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Democracy

Individual Liberty

Mutual Respect

The Rule of Law

Tolerance of those with Different Faiths and Beliefs

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The following is a list of where we aim to cover each aspect within Hamstel Junior School. It is not exclusive or exhaustive and will be regularly reviewed by the School and the Governing Body to ensure that it develops to reflect the needs of the school community.

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1. Democracy

• Children are involved in Democratic processes e.g. voting for school councillors and shared rewards. The school council itself is led by a member of staff and adheres to democratic processes, reporting its actions to the SLT and Governing Body.

• The Children’s Sports Council operates within democratic principles.

• Classroom Codes of Conduct are decided through a democratic process.

• Assemblies at times of National Elections explain the principles and importance of taking part as an adult.

• Visit to Council’s historic base in Southend; ‘Porters’.

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2. Individual Liberty

• Pupils have key roles and responsibilities in school, such as Year 6 House Captains/Librarians etc

• Children encouraged to ask questions freely and confident that they will be listened to by the staff and their peers.

• Stereotypes of gender/race/sexuality are addressed immediately and broken down through discussion.

• All children are encouraged to become independent both as learners and as socially aware individuals, being encouraged to make appropriate choices and learn from their mistakes.

• Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to consider and promote the safety of others, knowing that they are in a supportive environment.

• As a school we educate and provide safeguarding education (including that of e-safety) to ensure children understand how to be safe.

• Through our lunchtime and extra curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices and use their free time in a productive and enjoyable manner.  Residential trips in Yr5 and 6 encourage independence and responsibility.

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3. Mutual Respect

• Respect is one of the three core values of the school.

• Staff in school are actively encouraged to see learning as requiring the building of appropriate relationships with children, based on mutual respect, modelled by all staff.

• They are confident enough to apologise to children and each other, when they have made a mistake.

• Manners and politeness are expected in all situations throughout the school.

• Our Play Leaders scheme promotes mutual respect between pupils across different year groups within the school.

• The school encourages competitive team sport participation, which is used as a tool to develop mutual respect within and beyond the school.

• Sporting success of nations within Britain and other countries applauded e.g. 6-Nations Rugby and the Olympics.

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4. The Rule Of Law

• School has links with the local police through PC Collard.

• Children responsible for assisting in the construction of Class Rules and Consequences.

• We voice the school expectations for behaviour in terms of the law as it applies to all who live in Britain and through our core values

• We have a clearly structured behaviour policy which all stakeholders understand and follow.

• We regularly review behaviour incidents in school and share these with key stakeholders.

• History and assemblies are taught with reference to the importance of certain key events in the construction of British Law, as appropriate to national events e.g. 1000yrs since the Magna Carta

• Anti-bullying Ambassadors are appointed every year and play a role in spreading the antibullying message

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5. Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

• Our R.E curriculum provides a broad and balanced education on a range of faiths, religions and cultures relevant to the school community.

• We have a growing number of E.A.L children and actively use school resources to promote their learning and integration into our school society.

• Religious festivals, customs and dress are respected within the school. Books in the library reflect the multi-cultural and multi-faith makeup of the community.

• Inappropriate stereotypes are addressed immediately and broken down through discussion.

• We teach specific PSHE units of learning

• We use assemblies to promote an understanding of faiths within Britain and the wider world

• In assemblies we use hymns that reflect our Christian and National heritage as well as songs from other faiths.

• Visitors to Assemblies offer respectful insights into different faiths.

• The use of a school prayer that embraces our core values.

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