British Values

Our Values – We believe all children can achieve success:

Respect – we are interested in others;

Behaviour –we are kind, polite, honest and follow the rules;

Communication – we listen, think and speak confidently;

Learning –we put learning first, we work hard and show resilience;

Pride – we celebrate success;

Together – we work and play together to make a happy school; and

Care – we keep safe and make healthy & safe choices.

Our Rights:

• we have the right to feel safe;

• to be able to learn; and

• to be treated fairly and to have a voice.

Other children are elected onto the eco council and together help to make us more environmentally aware and the effect our actions can have on the wider community. They highlight issues such as declining bird populations across the country and how the countryside across Britain is changing.

Pupils are always listened to by adults and are taught to listen carefully and with concern to each other, respecting the right of every individual to have their opinions and voices heard. We encourage pupils to take ownership of not only their school but also of their own learning and progress. This encourages a heightened sense of both personal and social responsibility and is demonstrated on a daily basis by our pupils.

Parents’ opinions are welcomed at Bungay Primary and our pastoral workers are usually available at the start of the day on the playground to talk to parents.

Rules and Laws

The importance of rules and laws, whether they be those that govern our school or our country, are referred to and reinforced often, such as in assemblies and when reflecting on behaviour choices. At the start of the school year, each class discusses the school rules and class routines, principles that are clearly understood by all and seen to be necessary to ensure that every class member is able to learn in a safe and ordered environment.

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. These values are reinforced in different ways:

visits from authorities such as the police and fire service during Religious Education lessons and assemblies, when rules for particular faiths are thought about and discussed during other school subjects, where there is respect and appreciation for different rules – in sports lessons and computing for example

As part of the Year 6 residential in London, the children visit significant landmarks for example the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace.

Individual Liberty

Alongside rules and laws, we promote freedom of choice and the right to respectfully express views and beliefs. Through the provision of a safe, supportive environment, we provide boundaries for our pupils to make choices safely; for example:

• choices about what level of learning challenge or activity to participate in

• choices about how to record learning

• choices around participation in extra-curricular activities

Our pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are taught how to exercise these safely, such as in our PSHE and RE lessons. Every morning, children ‘check in’ and talk about how they are feeling today. Children who are not feeling OK are able to discuss why this is so. They may wish to do this discreetly with an adult or raise it with the class. Our pastoral support workers may well check back with the child later in the day, to ensure all help has been offered. Children can also add their names to the worry bag any time during the day. When there are problems that arise between children, our pastoral support workers, may hold a mini conference to help the children resolve their differences. These operate on the principles of restorative justice system, where all children express their views and they work together to find a solution, that they all agree on.

Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

Bungay Primary School serves an area which is becoming more culturally diverse and we are proud to promote and celebrate our different backgrounds and beliefs. Tolerance, politeness and mutual respect are at the heart of our aims and ethos. ‘We have consistently high expectations of, and care for, each other. We nurture individuality and celebrate our differences is part of our vision statement. Our pupils know and understand that it is expected that respect is shown to everyone and to everything, whatever differences we may have. Children learn that their behaviour choices have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community are encouraged to treat one another with respect. Specific examples of how we at Bungay Primary School enhance pupils’ understanding and respect for different faiths and beliefs are:

• through Religious Education, PSHE and other lessons where we develop awareness and appreciation of other        cultures – in English through fiction and in art and music by considering cultures from other parts of the world.

• celebrating cultural differences through assemblies, themed weeks, noticeboards and displays.

Whilst instances contrary to our values are relatively rare, no school can guarantee that there will never be an incident contrary to our values. Each is treated seriously in line with our policies and expectations.