We actively support the Government’s Prevent Agenda to counter radicalisation and extremism. The Department for Education 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 rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”
Democracy:
At St Mary’s we believe it is important that the children feel part of the school community and that their opinions and ideas are valued. We have School Council members who are elected by their peers, digital leaders to support the ICT coordinator and Green Team members to encourage ecology and conservation. We also have monitors in class to give varied roles and responsibilities to contribute to the school community.
The Rule of Law:
The importance of Laws are consistently reinforced through the promotion of our school values and ‘Stay on Green’ behaviour policy. We also teach about the law through our comprehensive PSHE curriculum.
Individual Liberty:
Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely and responsibly, for example through our E- Safety and PSHE lessons. We also teach the importance of following our school rules and respecting the values we promote.
The spiritual Values to which we aspire are:
Kindness: in treating others as we would want to be treated ourselves.
Truth: in the choices we make and in our dealings with family, friends, school and community.
Courage: to stand up for what is right, overcome our fears and aspire to make a positive change.
Hope: about the future and know that tomorrow can be even better than today.
Love: for ourselves and others, knowing that God loves us.
These values underpin our school vision and are regularly shared with children throughout the school day and in assemblies and PSHE lessons. We believe our school vision and values are essential in developing well rounded citizens. Each term there is a focus on these values through assemblies and our IPC learning goals. We have a restorative justice approach and work with children to resolve their differences and develop respect for their peers and others in the school community.
Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:
Our pupil’s share a growing understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and they have opportunities to experience diversity. We are proud to be a school of many different heritages. Visitors, parents and pupil members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. Our RE curriculum enables our children to learn about different faiths and to share their own.