British Values at Fairfield

The DfE have recently reinforced the need "to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rules of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs". We promote these values through our PSHE and RHE provision and wider curriculum as well as through our whole school ethos which is strongly focused on the relationships we form with each other.

As a school, we also have 7 learning animals which promote and teach positive relational behaviours for learning whilst contributing to our commitment to promote British values. These are:

Persevering penguin - guiding children to be resilient and positive in the face of challenge

Active ant – promoting team work by caring for and working with all other members of our community and valuing the  contribution of each team member

Wise owl – encouraging children to think carefully about decisions and plan what they are going to do.

Spinning spider – guiding children to make connections in their thinking and learning.

Dazzling dolphin – promoting creativity and valuing individuality.

Curious cat – encouraging children to be curious and ask questions about their learning and the                  world around them.

Colourful chameleon – guiding children to be adaptable when situations change and to value and              utilise the skills and strengths of themselves and others in different scenarios.

 At Fairfield, we reinforce the fundamental British values in the following ways:

Democracy

Pupils' views, opinions and ideas are always listened to by adults in our school. School staff actively encourage children to listen to the ideas and opinions of one another and there is a clear ethos of this within each classroom.

At the start of each year, children in each class work collaboratively to decide and agree on a set of class expectations in the form of a “class charter”. This is displayed creatively within the classroom and revisited at various points throughout the year. Children work as a class to ensure the charter is followed and analyse times together when it becomes tricky.

As part of our behaviour system, classes earn class merits to work towards a class reward. Once they have earned this, the class share ideas and vote on their class reward, involving discussion and negotiation.

At the start of the year in Year 1 and 2, children can put themselves forward to be a school councillor. Classes vote for their representative and each class’s councillor attends regular meetings in which they discuss decisions around school life and bring the views of their class to the meeting. Later in the autumn term, the views of Year R are represented by a linked class councillor from an older year group.

Rule of law

Pupils are taught from an early age about the shared rules and expectations of our school. They are active in shaping the expectations of their class through the class charter and their views on wider school rules are represented at school council meetings. Changes in the behaviour policy and system are discussed with children through school council meetings.

Visits from community groups such as the Police and Fire service help to reinforce this message. Pupils in Year R engage directly in learning which encompasses people who help us and includes learning about key groups such as police officers, paramedics and firefighters.

Pupils understand the consequences of their behaviour as they are given the opportunity to discuss their actions with staff and peers. This is embedded in Fairfield's bespoke version of the zones of regulation, where children are given the opportunity to think carefully about their behaviour choices should they need to throughout the day.

Individual Liberty

At Fairfield, we value each child as an individual. Children are encouraged to make choices and take risks in a safe and supportive environment. We help children assess safe and unsafe risks through our PSHE and RHE teaching and e safety content.  

Pupils are encouraged to persevere and be resilient with their attitude towards learning, with the help of our persevering penguin.

Children are encouraged to follow their own interests and be creative in their learning, with our dazzling dolphin learning animal to promote this. Children are also encouraged to make choices in their learning and before beginning a new topic are given the opportunity to say what they would like to learn about.

Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those with Different Faiths and Beliefs

At Fairfield we welcome and celebrate different faiths and cultures and therefore actively promote diversity. Through our PSHE, RHE and RE curriculum, we learn about significant events in different cultures and religions, inviting the children to contribute their own thoughts and experiences. These events are also highlighted through whole school, year group and class assemblies and where possible we invite visitors in to give first-hand experience of these. Children are encouraged to ask respectful questions to explore different faiths, beliefs and cultures in order to build their understanding.

Children are encouraged to share their opinion and teachers model carefully how to show respect to the opinions of others.

We involve ourselves in community events which can also involve helping charities on a local, national or international level. When taking part in such an event we discuss the charity with the children to develop their understanding and empathy towards others. These events have included Children in Need, Comic Relief, local foodbank and the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.