Promoting British Values

Promoting British Values

The Importance

At Pinewood we understand the importance of promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development. Integral to this, is the responsibility of actively promoting fundamental British Values.

All pupils at Pinewood are encouraged to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect and tolerance. They will have learned that all people living in England are subject to its laws. We aim for pupils to understand that the laws for Religion are different from our Civil Laws because each religion has its own particular rules.

Examples of actions that a school can take (From Dept for Education Document ‘Promoting fundamental British Values as part of SMSC in schools’)

The following is not designed to be exhaustive, but provides a list of different actions that schools can take, such as:

• include in suitable parts of the curriculum, as appropriate for the age of pupils, material on the strengths, advantages and disadvantages of democracy, and how democracy and the law works in Britain, in contrast to other forms of government in other countries;
• ensure that all pupils within the school have a voice that is listened to, and demonstrate how democracy works by actively promoting democratic processes such as a school council whose members are voted for by the pupils;
• use opportunities such as general or local elections to hold mock elections to promote fundamental British values and provide pupils with the opportunity to learn how to argue and defend points of view;
• use teaching resources from a wide variety of sources to help pupils understand a range of faiths, and consider the role of extra-curricular activity, including any run directly by pupils, in promoting fundamental British values.

Through our provision of SMSC and British Values, we aim to…

• enable pupils to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence
• enable pupils to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England
• encourage pupils to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and to understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality of the school and to society more widely
• enable pupils to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England
• further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling pupils to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures
• encourage respect for other people
• encourage respect for democracy
• enable pupils to understand the election process and the way society functions in relation to the vote
• to know that the law protects individual citizens and is essential for their wellbeing and safety
• to know that the law gives us all the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs

As a result of promoting fundamental British values, Pinewood School expect our pupils to gain the following understanding and knowledge : 

• an acceptance that other people having different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour
• an understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process
• an appreciation that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and is essential for their wellbeing and safety
• An understanding that it is very important to identify and challenge discrimination
• an understanding that the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law
• an acceptance that other people having different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour

SMSC Development at Pinewood School

Here is a selection of SMSC opportunities pupils access at Pinewood.