British Values
PROMOTING BRITISH VALUES AT MERSEA ISLAND SCHOOL
Democracy - Pupil voice forms an integral part of all that we do at Mersea Island School. The children are able to share their thoughts, views and ideas in and out of class. We have an elected School Council, Learning Ambassadors, Ship Captains, Librarians, Eco Warriors and many other posts of responsibility within the school. Pupils have opportunities to represent the views of their classmates and to have a meaningful input in to decision making. The children are encouraged to work together, to listen and respect the views of everyone within our school community. Voting systems are in place to help finalise decisions when there is not a clear cut solution.
The Rule of Law - The importance of laws is reinforced throughout the school day. Pupils are fully aware of our School Rules and can talk about what they mean and why we have them. Pupils are taught about the reasons why there are rules/laws, that they are there to ensure there is order and that everyone is safe. Children are also taught that there are consequences when rules/laws are broken. Our school rules of CARE, Be Kind, Be Safe are used to reinforce the learning and form the basis of our conversations when dealing with any behaviour related issues within school.
Individual Liberty - Pupils are actively encouraged to to think for themselves and make good choices. We work hard to ensure pupils feel safe and supported to stand up for what they believe, to have a voice and to show tolerance towards the views of others. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights; time is invested to enable the children to be aware of how best they can do this. Pupils are educated about their rights to be safe from harm and opportunities are taken for visitors to attend the school, throughout the year to reinforce key messages and to ensure our children know how to keep themselves safe e.g. online, NSPCC - Talk PANTS. Pupils are able to make informed choices regarding many aspects of school life including provision of school clubs, lunches and playtime arrangements.
Mutual Respect - Respect is one of our core values and is an integral part of our whole school ethos. Pupils are involved in regular conversations about what it means to be respectful and why it is important in the way we behave towards others and in the way we treat equipment and look after our school environment. Pupils are taught how it is important to listen and value other children's thoughts, feelings, beliefs and and ideas. Pupils know how important it is to care about other people and there is a really lovely community feeling within our school, which reflective of the kindness and care the children and adults show towards each other. We are very mindful of the need to raise our pupil's awareness of diversity and celebrate uniqueness. We welcome visitors to the school who are able to broaden our children's knowledge and understanding of diversity in the wider world.
Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs - We develop pupil knowledge and understanding of different faiths and beliefs by actively seeking opportunities for them to be exposed to, learn about and experience diversity first hand. Many of our class texts have been selected with this in mind. We encourage people of different faiths to visit the school and to take an active role in engaging the children in learning. School resources are purchased with diversity in mind. We aim to present our pupils with images and access to resources which reflect the diverse world in which we live. We promote tolerance of others through our core values Community, Aspiration, Respect and Enjoyment (CARE). Pupils understand that it is ok to have different views, opinions, likes and dislikes and that this is what makes the world a much more interesting place for us all to live in.