British Values

Our Vision for Promoting British Values

As a Catholic School, we promote values, virtues and ethics that shape our pupils’ character, moral and perspective through the teachings of the Church. Each week, we focus on a new Gospel value which gives our children awareness of what it means to be a good citizen in preparing them for life in 21^st Century Britain.

The Department for Education state that schools should 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. At St Theresa’s we aim to promote British Values in the following ways:

Democracy

We actively promote the model of democracy by:

• Ensuring that our children’s voices are heard through regular School Council meetings, children are taught how they can influence decision making through a democratic process.
• The elections of School Council and House Captains are casted by pupil vote.
• Teaching children how public services work and being involved with outside agencies.

Rule of Law

We actively promote the model of Law by:

• The importance of laws and rules are consistently reinforced in the classroom, around school and during school assemblies. Pupils understand the need for law and the responsibilities this involves. Consequently, pupils understand what may happen if these rules are broken.
• Pupils follow a positive behaviour policy and understand rewards and sanctions. Assemblies allow time to reflect about positive choices within our school and behaviours that demonstrate this are highlighted.
• We encourage students 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.

Respect and Tolerance

We actively promote the model of respect and tolerance by:

• Our school’s ethos and behaviour policy are based on Gospel values which have the important commandment being ‘Love one another as I have loved you’. Assemblies promote respect for one another and the importance of good manners.
• As a school, we promote respect for individual differences and take every opportunity to promote our diverse society. We ensure that children understand the right for each person to be respected and valued equally regardless of ability, gender, faith or age. As a diverse society we take opportunities to share other faiths and religions to enhance children’s knowledge and awareness of the lives and beliefs of others around them.
• Further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling students to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures. To do this, we use teaching resources from a wide variety of sources to help pupils understand a range of faiths.

Individual Liberty

We actively promote the model of individual liberty by:

Pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment.

• Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and lessons, anti-bullying awareness days and RHE lessons.
• Whether it be through choice of learning challenge, of how they record, of participation in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices.