To help ensure that children leave school prepared for life in modern Britain, the DfE issued guidance to all schools on improving the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of children through the promotion of fundamental British values.
At Coaley C of E Primary Academy, we aim to develop a climate where the British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs are embedded at every level and lived through our curriculum, Christian ethos and values. As outlined in our aims and vision, we encourage our children to be creative, unique, open-minded and independent individuals, respectful of themselves and of others in our school, our local community and the wider world. Our school vision, 'As a family, we flourish', is also rooted at the heart of everything we do and helps to guide and support our aim to nurture our children on their journey through life so they can grow into safe, compassionate, democratic, respectful adults who make a difference to modern Britain and the world.
Democracy
As a school, we aim to help children understand how people can influence decision-making through the democratic process. We value pupil voice and the role children have in guiding and shaping school improvements. We also ask the children about their learning, their concerns and ideas about how we can make things better. We do this through our School Eco Council and through pupil questionnaires. Indeed, our School Council meet regularly to discuss issues raised by our children and they are also often involved in the recruitment of new staff. We also aim to help children understand the democratic electoral process. At the start of each year, children vote for their House Captains and their School Eco Council representatives.
The Rule of Law
At Coaley, the importance of rules and laws are consistently and positively reinforced throughout the school day. We recognise the importance of helping children to distinguish right from wrong, to respect rules and to learn from their mistakes.
Individual Liberty
Within school, our children are actively encouraged to show initiative and make independent choices, knowing that they are in a safe, supportive and nurturing environment. As a school, we positively encourage children to make choices and empower them to exercise their rights and freedoms, knowing that they can make a positive difference to their own and other people’s lives. Through our distinctive Christian ethos, school rules and motto, we aim to provide support and boundaries for our children to make choices safely and responsibly.
Mutual Respect
At Coaley, mutual respect is one of our core values, underpinning our school vision and helps to guide our daily interactions and choices. As adults, we actively model respect through the manner we treat everyone within our school family and we guide and help our children to understand that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those around them. Indeed, all members of the Coaley school family are expected to show respect for everyone they come into contact with; through demonstrating good manners, taking care of each other and the environment (school and beyond) and for supporting the local and wider community.
Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and those without faith
Coaley is a very warm and welcoming school. We actively seek to promote tolerance and understanding by embracing diversity and promoting an awareness of different faiths, beliefs, cultures and traditions through our curriculum, including Religious Education and PSHE. This is enhanced during our enrichment weeks. We also seek to promote tolerance by encouraging personal thinking skills and reflection throughout our curriculum and day-to-day experiences, including: faith, ethnicity, disability, gender, sexuality and understanding different home and family situations. At Coaley, we actively challenge anyone in our school community who displays prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour contrary to fundamental British Values.