The teaching of British Values at Park Lane Primary School is part of our commitment to promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our children and equip them for modern British life.

It is important that children understand the values that connect us as British citizens to instil in them a strong sense of belonging to our country and to encourage them to understand that, while freedom of choice is an essential building block of our society, it comes with responsibilities to others within our community.

The Rule of Law

The laws of our country apply to all, and provide us with protection and cohesion in the community. At Park Lane this means that:

• We make our school rules clear and fair and expect all Griffins to adhere to them.
• We celebrate our Griffins showing respect for our community by awarding Dojo Points for positive behaviour. In addition to this, values awards are given and children’s achievements both in and outside of school are celebrated during weekly assemblies.
• Those whose behaviour falls short of expectations are asked to reflect on their actions and consider the impact it had on others in After School Reflections – they are encouraged to take responsibility for themselves.
• We appoint and train Anti-Bullying Ambassadors to support the implementation of our rules around bullying and to empower our children to help each other.

Individual Liberty

We all have the right to express ourselves freely and to make our own choices. Our Park Lane children are taught that this is a privilege as well as a power through:

• Our PSHE programme “Lifewise”
• Our assemblies, including those based on the First News paper each week, where children discuss and debate current topics
• Griffin University activities which are designed to enhance their personal development

Democracy

Britain believes that democracy is the best way to run our country, as it gives influence and power to all. Everyone has a voice. The Park Lane Pupil Voice is central to the running of our school.

• Year 6 students form the Pupil Leadership Team (PLT) which provides feedback to the Senior Leadership Team about a wide variety of issues of its choice
• The PLT selection process mirrors the UK democratic process, to make that link strong for our children and teach them about democracy
• Year 6 Griffins visit the Houses of Parliament each year to see democracy in action and take part in activities provided by their education team
• Children in classes Years 2-5 are also elected to join the Junior Leadership Team (JLT) where they work closely with our Year 6 PLT.

Mutual Respect and Tolerance

Treating others as you wish to be treated yourself is not only a central tenet of British Values, but is a theme that is woven through our Griffin Learning Behaviours which form the basis of our approach to values at Park Lane. We want our children to think about how they would like to be treated and treat others in the same way, even if they have different views, backgrounds or heritage.

• The four central Griffin attributes of Wisdom, Courage, Leadership and Being Unique help Griffins develop a range of skills to help them succeed such as being able to empathise with others, being able to reflect on situations and actions, being resilient and ready to take risks, to be confident and independent.
• Children across school are invited to identify the Griffin Learning Behaviour that they think they have shown that day and what they would like to work on in future.
• We share and promote these positive behaviours with home through Seesaw and Values Awards assemblies.