Travis St Lawrence CE Primary School

SMSC, Religious Education and British Values at Travis St Lawrence CE Primary School

The DFE have reinforced 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.

Through our SMSC and Religious Education we promote these values and meet the requirements for section 78 of the Education Act 2002.

 Curriculum:

• In Key Stage 1, pupils are taught about similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods, how changes within living memory reveal changes in national life and about events beyond living memory that are significant nationally. They also learn about the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national achievements.
• In Key Stage 2, British history is taught through a carefully designed set of ‘key skills’ for history as pupils continue to develop their knowledge of British and local history. Periods of British history studied include The Roman Empire and its impact on Britain, the Viking and Anglo Saxon struggle for the kingdom of England, monarchy through the ages and local history. 
• Our collective worships are very important to us, and it is here that we regularly uphold the traditional values of empathy, respect and tolerance. These are also taught within formal  PSHRE, Citizenship and RE lessons and, indeed, the British values of respect, tolerance and empathy are fostered throughout all of our daily interactions: modeled by staff and nurtured in pupils.

• Each year, the children agree upon their class rules and the rights and responsibilities associated with these. Each class creates their own ‘class charter’ following the school behaviour policy.
• Pupil voice is high on our agenda as a school. Children have many opportunities for their voices to be heard. We have a Pupil Parliament as well as House and Sports Captains. All children have the opportunity to talk to senior staff on a regular basis and use these occasions to share their views.
• Our Pupil Parliament members are democratically elected annually having shared their manifestos with their classes. Regular meetings also follow a democratic decision making process with each member having a role within the meetings. 
• Democracy is explained in assembly and the children are encouraged to follow the news in relation to voting, with children given opportunities to debate the issues currently being addressed.

• The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind law enforcement, that they govern and protect us, and the responsibilities that these involve and the consequences that can occur when laws are broken.
• Visits from authorities such as the Police, Fire Service and Ambulance staff help to reinforce this message throughout the year in all phases 
• In Y6, pupils visit annually the Crucial Crew experience led by the Fire and Police Services where such values are reinforced and explained addressing key and relevant issues. 

• 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 young pupils to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and empowering 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 PSHRE lessons.
• Pupils are given the freedom to make choices, whether through choice of challenge, how they record their work, or their individual participation in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities.

• Collective worships regularly promote ‘respect’, and pupils have been part of discussions related to what this means and how it is shown and this is reiterated through our classroom and learning rules, as well as our behaviour policy.
• When a child does something well, their achievement is celebrated in a weekly ‘Celebration Assembly’.
• Part of our school ethos revolves around core Christian values including respect and pupils have been part of discussions and assemblies related to what this means and how it is shown. These ideas are reiterated through the Travis Values, as well as our behaviour policy.

• This is achieved through enhancing pupils’ understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity.
• We value first hand experiences and as a result, we seek to build tolerance and respect of different faiths and beliefs through the study of a variety of faiths.
• Curriculum topics include learning about and, most importantly, from other faiths and misconceptions between religions are addressed as well as prejudices that have been expressed by the community.
• Collective worship and discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying are regularly held as well as themed weeks such as Anti-Bullying week and Staying Safe week.