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St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Swindon

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Promoting British Values at St Mary's

OFSTED definition

At St Mary’s, we actively promote British Values, and ensure that, through the curriculum, assemblies, wider opportunities, visits, discussions and literature, the school:

"prepares pupils for life in modern Britain effectively, developing their understanding of 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 Big Assembly in Bristol)

Respect different traditions and cultures

At St Mary’s, we value the diverse ethnic backgrounds of our pupils and families as enriching our school communities and the whole parish community benefits from this. It teaches us to respect different traditions and cultures and links us to the wider global community. We join with our global family when we fundraise for CAFOD during Lent, learning about different countries and communities, we fill shoeboxes at Christmas time to enable children from different ethnic backgrounds celebrate with gifts.

(A visit from Patricio who lives in Ocato)

Head Girl presentations

Democracy

Other ways that British values are promoted within St Mary’s:

Democracy

Having a School Council
Encouraging debating skills within Literacy;
Highlighting the development of democratic ideas in the history curriculum;
Year 6 pupils voting for Head Boy and Head Girl as well as House Captains and Vice House Captains after candidates have made a speech;
Ensuring all pupils are listened to by adults;
Inviting MPs and other speakers into school

This list is not exhaustive.

The Rule of Law

All pupils involved in creating class rules.

Having a clear behaviour policy that all are aware of.

Explicit teaching of right and wrong and promoting the importance of conscience.

Highlighting the rules of the Church and God in the RE curriculum, for example the 10 Commandments and Precepts of the Church.

Teaching the development of the Rule of Law in English Law, a legal system created uniquely in a Catholic England, inspired by Christian values and becoming a major influence across the world.

A visit to the Houses of Parliament

Individual Liberty

Pupils are encouraged to become independent learners.

A Culture of vocation is explicit across the school with a daily Vocation Prayer which provides pupils with an opportunity to reflect and discern their vocation in life.

Mutual Respect

Our Mission Statement is inclusive to all.

Respect for others and their cultures and beliefs appears explicitly in our Mission Statement .

Our inclusion Policies are clearly presented on our website.

There is a zero tolerance to all types of bullying, including homophobic bullying and racist behaviour.

Everybody is seen as being unique and created in the image of God.

St Mary’s support charitable works such as CAFOD and Operation Christmas Child.

Our annual carol singing afternoon at the local care home

Prevent Duty Guidance for England and Wales

Please click on the link below to view the HM Government Prevent Duty Guidance: for England and Wales.

14.258_HO_Prevent+Duty+Guidance_v5d_Final_Print.pdf

Respect and Tolerance

Respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

Within the RE curriculum units of work are taught each year on Islam and Judaism;

Within the RE curriculum show how Jesus encouraged respect and tolerance of other faiths;

We celebrate festivals in other faiths such as Chinese New Year, Diwali and Hannukah. (This list is not exhaustive)

Prevent Duty

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its pupils. As a school we recognise that safeguarding against radicalisation is no different from safeguarding against any other vulnerability. All staff are expected to uphold and promote the fundamental principles of British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

On 1 July 2015 the Prevent duty (section 26) of The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 came into force. This duty places the responsibility on local authorities to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. The most recent version can be found on this page.

As part of our commitment to safeguarding and child protection we fully support the government's Prevent Strategy. All staff are expected to complete annual Prevent Awareness training.