British Values
British Values are important to us. They represent the relationships we form with one another at Blue Sky Learning.
Blue Sky is committed to serving the community and surrounding areas. We recognise the multi-cultural, multi-faith nature of the United Kingdom and understand the crucial role our school plays in promoting these values.
We encourage admissions from all those entitled to education under British law regardless of faith, ethnicity, gender, sexual, political or financial status. We are an inclusive school, and the promotion of modern British values and democracy is clearly evident within our school.
We understand the importance of the current Ofsted guidance: should ensure that they and the school promote tolerance and respect for people of all faiths (or those of no faith), cultures and lifestyles; and support and help, through their words, actions and influence within the school and more widely in the community, to prepare children and young people positively for life in modern Britain.
Democracy
Children are actively encouraged to have a voice and share their views and opinions regularly. Each child contributes their ideas for what values they need to show in order to gain a Gem for the Gem Tree. This sets rules for classroom conduct and establishes the standards of behaviour children can expect from each other over the year. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through pupil Thrive sessions, where they have the opportunity to discuss and debate various scenarios. Children use debating in their learning and understand the principles they should follow. Our school behaviour policy ensures that both sides of any dispute are taken into account, with agreed sanctions in place.
Rule of Law
The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are reinforced throughout our regular school days, as well as when dealing with behaviour. Children 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. Our school and class rules, rewards and sanctions, which are displayed in the main schoolroom and referred to regularly and consistently upheld are a practical example of this. We have links with police, ambulance and fire services who help reinforce this. They visit classes as part of the learning planned. The concept of the Rule of Law is also reinforced through teaching activities in our citizenship curriculum.
Individual Liberty
Within our school, children are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young children to take risks and to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Children are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advise how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons. Whether it is through choice of learning challenge, how they record their learning, or the choice of reward when reaching ten gems, children are given the freedom to make choices and make decisions.
Mutual Respect
As a Thrive embedded provision, mutual respect is at the heart of our values. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community treat each other with respect. Respect is reinforced through our behaviour policy, school and class rules.
Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs
We place a great emphasis on promoting diversity with the children. Our RE and PSHE teaching reinforce this. Each year the children explore a world faith alongside their learning about Christianity. By the time they leave us, all children have learnt about the beliefs and practices of people of the following world faiths; Judaism, Sikhism, Hinduism, and Islam. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school.
Preventing Radicalisation and Extremism
Radicalisation is defined as the act or process of making a person more radical or favouring of extreme or fundamental changes in political, economic or social conditions, institutions or habits of the mind.
Extremism is defined as the holding of extreme political or religious views. The staff at Blue Sky have a zero-tolerance approach to extremist behaviour for all school community members. We rely on our strong values to steer our work and ensure the pastoral care of our children protects them from exposure to negative influences.
Blue Sky Learning is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its children. As a school we recognise that safeguarding against radicalisation is no different from safeguarding against any other vulnerability. At Blue Sky all staff are expected to uphold and promote the fundamental principles of British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. All staff have undergone Prevent training.
Curriculum
Our curriculum promotes respect, tolerance, diversity and British values. In Key Stage 1 we study several famous British people such as Guy Fawkes, Florence Nightingale, Queen Victoria and Major Tim Peake. We also celebrate or commemorate key dates in British history such as Bonfire Night and Remembrance Day. British history is interwoven within our topics. We study geographical and historical elements of Britain. We learn about the Roman Empire and its impact in Britain. We study the life of Henry VIII, World War I as well as looking as the lives of significant British explorers.
