Ripon Cathedral School

RIPON CATHEDRAL SCHOOL

GO
aspiring flourishing loving

British Values

The DfE state 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.”

 

Click below to read our Social, Moral, Spiritual, Cultural Development and British Values Statement.

 

At our school these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy:

Democracy is extensive within School. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our pupil voice work. There are elections held for lead school ambassadors and team captains, they are based solely on pupil votes which mimic the democratic process involving registration for voting, polling cards and ballot boxes. Our year 6 class visit the Houses of Parliament and learn about campaigning and the democratic way laws are made.

The Rule of Law:

Our three school rules are be safe, be responsible and be respectful, in this context children are taught about making right and wrong choices and the consequnces of making the wrong decision. The importance of Laws, whether they be those that affect the class, School, or our country, are reinforced regularly in school assemblies, collective worship, PSHE, RE and other aspects of the curriculum. 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 to and visitors from authorities such as the Police; Fire Service; paramedics etc. are regular parts of our school calendar and help reinforce this message.

Exploring how to lead a campaign at the Houses of Parliament

Individual Liberty:

As a School we educate and provide boundaries for our pupils to make choices through the provision of a safe environment. In the 2015 parent questionnaires, 100% of the parents who returned their questionnaire feel that their child feels safe within School. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, through our cross curricular teaching of E-Safety, Computing and PSHE. We include the Archbishop of York's Young Leaders Award as part of our curriculum. Children learn about inspirational leaders and social reformers and the importance of freedom and human rights, they also then develop projects which support and enhance their own community, to 'be the change they want to see' in the world.

Mutual Respect:

Our vision is underpinned by three clear rules

Be Safe, Be Responsible and Be Respectful

We define ourselves as a Christian school and as such are there for everyone, we welcome everyone with wide open arms. Our SIAMS inspection in 2015 states:

Christian love is central to school life and is expressed as ‘learning to love ourselves, each other, our community and our world’. Further Christian values such as forgiveness, hope, justice, courage and compassion have been identified and children acknowledge how they are applied in their lives. One child talked of justice saying that it was important to talk through problems with other each other so that they could be addressed fairly.

Respect for Different Faiths and Beliefs:
This is promoted through enhancing pupils’ understanding of their place in a multi-cultural society and by providing opportunities to experience and celebrate diversity. We were proud to be the first school in North Yorkshire to recieve the Stephen Lawrence Award for work on equality and diversity.

We work closely with parents and the community to ensure inclusivity. World faiths are celebrated in collective worship and RE and members of different faiths are encouraged to share their beliefs and practices to enhance pupils’ understanding. Pupils visit a range of ‘places of worship’ as part of RE lessons throughout their time within School. The SIAMS inspection in 2015 states:

The school ensures that children have good opportunities to develop their understanding of other faiths and cultures. The visits to other places of worship and the visitors to school help children to remember what they have learnt. They can talk confidently about some aspects of different faiths and they said that they have learnt to respect the beliefs of others.