British Values

Promoting British  Values at Herne Bay Junior School.

The DfE have recently reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote 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 government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values have been reiterated by the Prime Minister this year.  At Herne Bay Juniors these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy:

Democracy is widespread across our school. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council who meet at least once a month. Every child on the School Council is voted in by their class and have the opportunity to put forward their views and opinions at the meetings. We promote our own school values on a daily basis and these are rewarded with ‘Value Tokens’ that are drawn out in assembly on a weekly basis. Our school behaviour policy involves rewards which the pupils vote on as a class group.

The Rule of Law:

The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced at Herne Bay Juniors. This happens throughout the school day when dealing with behaviour issues and through school assemblies. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service help to reinforce this message.

Individual Liberty:

At Herne Bay Junior School, pupils are actively encouraged to make the right choices, following our school values. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young pupils to make wise choices, through a provision of a safe environment and empowering education.  Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons. Whether it be through choice of challenge or of participation in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices.


Mutual Respect:

One of our Core School Values is ‘Respect’. Pupils have discussions both in class and assemblies relating to what this means and how it is shown. Displays around the school promote our school values and this is reiterated through our classroom rules, as well as our behaviour policy. Tiger Troop (a military based group) work with groups of children at Herne Bay Juniors to enhance their self esteem, work together as a team and build self confidence. We also have strong sporting values that are demonstrated through our team games against local schools and competitive sporting events that are regularly attended. All children are taught to show good sportsmanship whether they win, lose or draw.


Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:

Herne Bay Juniors is a diverse school. We actively promote diversity through our teaching and celebration of different faiths and cultures. Assemblies and discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying have been held and are supported by learning in RE and PSHE. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school.