British Values
British Values
At Shankhill Church of England Primary School, we take our responsibility to prepare children for life in
modern Britain very seriously, recognising the multi-cultural, multi-faith and ever changing society that
we live in.
We ensure that the fundamental British Values are introduced, discussed and lived out through the ethos
and work of the school.
Since September 2014, the Department for Education has introduced a statutory duty for schools to
promote British Values more actively and ensure that British Values are taught across the school.
The five key British Values are:
Democracy
The rule of law
Individual liberty
Mutual Respect
Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
Our school ensures children have plenty of experiences during their time with us where these concepts
can be shown, through for example, sporting events, class visits and the use of outdoor education centres.
The examples below show some of the many ways Shankhill C of E School seeks to instil British Values.
Democracy:
Our school council is democratically elected and regularly seeks the views of pupils on issues such as
school improvement, fund raising ideas, charity events, fairness and equal opportunities. We have a local
Councillor on the school’s Governing Body who regularly visits us, as well as supporting the work of the
school council. We also have a very supportive and active parent/teacher association in school. We
regularly ask parents to let us know their views and any ideas to make our school a better place.
The Rule of Law:
The importance of Laws, whether they be those that govern the class, school, or the country, are
consistently reinforced across the school on a daily basis. We present a strong message in terms of a code
of conduct and the importance and reasons behind these rules. The school has a comprehensive
behaviour policy which is respected by everyone and reviewed regularly with our children.
The school has links with the local community services. We have had visits from the local police and we
have visited the fire service who spoke to the pupils about keeping themselves safe and acting responsibly
as good citizens should.
Individual Liberty:
Our reward systems and weekly celebration assemblies promote positive behaviour in school and every
child is encouraged to be the very best person they can be. All pupils are encouraged to become
independent learners, developing a thirst for knowledge and making informed choices from about their
learning to the afterschool club they wish to commit to.
Mutual Respect:
There is a strong ethos of respect at Shankhill C of E Primary School. We expect and hold the highest
expectations for everyone in our school community. Adults actively model respect to one another and
with the pupils. We teach the pupils to take pride in themselves, their work, their school and local
community. We are also striving to encourage the pupils to become good digital citizens, through the
online safety curriculum and participation in Safer Internet Day. The message of mutual respect is
demonstrated every day and reinforced through daily collective worship and weekly PSHE and circle
time.
Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs:
We strive to provide lots of opportunities for our pupils to learn, understand and tolerate those of different
faiths and beliefs. Our RE Policy includes key aims to enable pupils to develop their knowledge and
understanding of religious beliefs, practices and lifestyles. The pupils take part in real life experiences as
well as enriching experiences such as visits to Carlisle Cathedral, Carlisle Taqwa Masjid Mosque, the
Jewish Life Exhibit and Lanercost Priory amongst several local churches. We have daily collective worship in school and this is delivered by the Vicar from St Mary’s Church, Stapleton. Over the years, we have had several children with English as an additional language who make good progress at our school because their home languages and cultures are valued and celebrated.
We hope the pupils who attend Shankhill C of E Primary School will leave at the end of Key Stage 2 with
the skills that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.
British Values Statement