St Joseph's prepares pupils positively for life in modern Britain and promotes the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith.
The Government set out its definition of British Values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy and these values were reiterated by the government in 2015. During the school day these British Values are enforced regularly.
“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”
- Department for Education
At St Joseph’s Democracy is embedded. The elections of School Council representatives are based solely on staff and pupil votes, reflecting our British electoral system and demonstrating democracy in action. Pupils are taught about the importance of the Law.
Often members from local authorities e.g. Police, Firemen, Ambulance Service are invited into St Joseph’s to discuss the reason we have Law. This helps reinforce the importance of following rules. At St Joseph’s we encourage children to make choices in everyday school life.
Pupils are encouraged to choose certain lesson challenges, are given the chance to participate in extracurricular activities and are encouraged to exercise their rights and personal opinions. From entering school in Y5, children are taught that their behaviours can have an effect on their own rights and those of others.
We have playground rules to enforce this. Weekly award systems are in place to reward positive behaviours. We promote diversity within St Joseph’s.
Children are taught about different faiths and beliefs in assembly. We also celebrate different religious days on the yearly calendar e.g. Islam day. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within the classroom. Our children will visit different places of worship that are important to different faiths.
Students are encouraged to have respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic processes. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council and become involved in decision making process in the school. (picture)The elections of members of the School Council are based on pupil votes. A mock election to mirror the General Election was held in 2017.
Students are taught to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England.
The importance of laws and rules is consistently applied in day to day classroom management, expectations and the behaviour management ‘epraise achieve’ rewards system. Pupils are taught the values and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the right and responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Explicit coverage includes: Humanities and Life Studies lessons on vandalism [Year 6], the consequences of knife crime [Year 7], Drugs: crime and awareness [Year 8], A magistrate’s court role plays and investigation into the legal system [Year 8]. How the Ancient Greeks helped shaped laws [Year 5] How crime and punishment have changed over centuries. [Year 6] Out of school workshops investigating scenarios involving authorities such as the police, fire service and lifeguards [Years 6 and 8], help reinforce this message.
Students are taught 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.
Pupils are actively encouraged to make choices in a safe and supportive environment. Students can make informed choices through the provision of a safe environment and planned curriculum. 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 teaching across all year groups, Valley Gardens pupils’ rights and responsibilities (Year 5), Rights and responsibilities (Year 7) Human Rights (year 8). Pupils are given the freedom to make choices, e.g. signing up for extra-curricular clubs, choosing the level of challenge in some lessons and home studies tasks and generally becoming increasingly responsible for their learning in the classroom.
Students are encouraged to demonstrate respect for other people. An underpinning value of the behaviour policy is that everyone has a right to learn and be safe, and to get respect you need to show respect. Assemblies and ‘The thought for the week’ (hyperlink) are central in reinforcing the way children and adults alike, including visitors, are expected to behave towards each other. The children are taught how to react, respond and challenge if they observe, or are victims of behaviour that is disrespectful in any way. Anti- Bullying week, which the whole school embraces through assemblies and form tutor activities, focuses very much on the core value of mutual respect. Posters and certificates in school and the agreed code of conduct in the pupil planner encourage respect.
All students are encouraged to demonstrate a tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. Learning about, and understanding different faiths and beliefs, underpins much of the Life Studies curriculum across Years 7 and 8 and Humanities across the school.
An increasingly multicultural and diverse Britain is celebrated through assemblies, where pupils embrace differences in faiths, outlooks and beliefs.
St Joseph’s Catholic Middle School
Highford Lane
Hexham
NE462DD
