At Garston Primary School, we develop and promote British Values throughout our school and within our curriculum. We ensure that children become valuable and fully rounded members of society who treat others with respect and leave school fully prepared for life in modern Britain. We develop British Values throughout the school on a daily basis, through conversations with pupils and linking teaching points to the four areas; Individual Liberty, Rule of Law, Mutual Respect and Tolerance and Democracy. 

The promotion of British Values should ensure our children have:

• an appreciation of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process
• an appreciation and living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and is essential for their well-being and safety
• an understanding that there is a separation of power between the executive and judiciary, and that while some public bodies such as the police and the army can be held to account through Parliament, others such as the courts maintain independence
• an understand 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
• an understanding of the importance of identifying and combatting discrimination..

Rule of Law

At Garston, we strive to make educated and impactful citizens of the future. One way in which this is developed, is through an in depth understanding of the Rule of Law. Children are taught that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and that it is essential for their well-being and safety. An important part of British values is the understanding that any society or community can only work well, and protect all its members, if there are rules which everyone is expected to follow.

In order to support our children’s development in their understanding of the rule of law, we use the following.

• We have clear school rules and high expectations, with concise consequences and rewards, ensuring our children have an understanding of the importance of rules. Below you will find our behaviour blueprint.
• Pupil Leadership roles such as Prefects empower children to support others in following our school rules.
• Our PSCHE curriculum makes continuous links to the British Values, including Rule of Law (and how to use the Internet appropriately. For further information regarding our PSCHE curriculum, please click here. 
• We hold weekly assemblies in which we explore the different British Values and how they impact on our lives. To see an example of an assembly, please click here. 
• We use Picture News resources to discuss and debate around current issues relating to different British Values. To see an example of Picture News, please click here. 
• We develop children’s understanding of rules outside of school, such as Road Safety, through Road Safety Workshops and Bikeability sessions.
• In addition, our Year 5 and 6 pupils have the opportunity to take part in the Mini Police programme, where they carry out a variety of responsibilities inside and outside of school, upholding the rules. For further information about Mini Police, click here. 
• We also take part in the Cell’s Project. Cell’s primary objective is to educate children and young people on the consequences of crime. To find out more about the Cell’s Project, click here. 

Democracy

At Garston, we strive to ensure that all children understand the power of their voice. Our children understand how citizens can influence decision making through the democratic process and are provided with the opportunity to work democratically throughout their school journey.

• Children are able to vote for their own class novels, games and other classroom activities, discussing the democratic process throughout. For an example of this in action, please click here. 
• Children vote for school council after a democratic process. Children write their own manifestos and present these to the class and following this a vote is taken in their own ballot booths. The chosen children represent their class in a whole school council, taking views and ideas around the continued development of school.
• Every year, a representative group of pupils are sent to London to explore Parliament, take part in debates in the Houses of Parliament and develop their understanding of the democratic process in a real life situation.

Mutual Law and Respect

At Garston Primary, we promote Mutual Respect and Tolerance. We teach our children to show respect for each other, the ability to work together effectively and treat others how they want to be treated. We achieve this in a variety of different ways:

• Our school rules, look after yourself, look after each other and look after our school, promotes mutual respect and tolerance to others.
• We hold weekly assemblies in which we explore the different British Values and how they impact on our lives. To see an example of an assembly, please click here.
• We use Picture News resources to discuss and debate around current issues relating to different British Values. To see an example of Picture News, please click here.
• During Picture News sessions, and the school day, we teach children the importance of debating with respect listening to the viewpoints of others.
• Our PSCHE curriculum makes continuous links to the British Values, including Mutual Respect and Tolerance. For further information regarding our PSCHE curriculum, please click here. 
• Staff are trained in supporting diversity and in turn developing Mutual Respect and Tolerance. We have achieved the Student Voice and Pastoral Support areas of the Rainbow Flag Award.
• Awareness Days are celebrated to raise the profile of a diverse range of events and cultural and religious differences throughout the school year. For an overview of the Awareness Events that we celebrate, click here. 

Indvidual Liberty 

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for all pupils to make choices safely, through provision of a safe environment and an empowering approach through the 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.

• We teach our pupils how their choices are important, through voting for school council, to developing their understanding about their choices in relationships in our RSE and PSCHE curriculum.
• Using our values of Wisdom and Trust, children are encouraged to trust in themselves and make their own choices, based on their own experiences.
• We hold weekly assemblies in which we explore the different British Values and how they impact on our lives. To see an example of an assembly, please click here.
• We use Picture News resources to discuss and debate around current issues relating to different British Values.
• We have a wide range of extra school activities that children are able to make a choice from. Alongside this, there are different lunch-clubs/activities that children can exercise their right to choose from.