At Park Hill Primary we promote the four principles relating to British Values of Democracy, Rule of Law, Individual Liberty and Mutual Respect naturally through opportunities that arise though the National Curriculum, our PSHE programme and our belief in the development of spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) education.
The concept of democracy is developed through our use of a Polling Day every September when pupils throughout the school vote for their House Captains and House Vice Captains. Pupils who wish to stand for these elected positions have to give a speech in front of their Houses to persuade children to vote for them in a secret ballot. Further to this, at the beginning of the school year, pupils in each class have to vote for their Council Reps to sit on the School Council. Once again, prospective candidates have to give a speech in front of their classes to persuade them to vote for them. The outcomes are once again decided by a secret ballot.
We know that the formation of the school council and the active participation of our pupils will sow the seeds for a more sophisticated understanding of democracy in the future. Pupil questionnaires and interviews are also conducted throughout the year.
Class rules are re-established every year taking into account the opinions of all pupils.
Our pupils will encounter rules and laws throughout their entire lives. We want our pupils to understand that whether these laws govern the class, the school, the community or the country, they are set for good reasons and must be adhered to. The involvement of our pupils in the creation of the school rules, that are fair and reasonable, helps them to understand the reasons behind the rules and the consequences if they are broken. Pupils are taught from Reception the rules of the school i.e. School Rules, Playground Rules, Dinner Hall Rules and they are also encouraged to be role models throughout the school.
In individual classes, pupils discuss various rules and the importance of following them.
The understanding of the importance of rules will be consistently reinforced through assemblies and our curriculum. Throughout the year we also welcome visits from members of the wider community including police, the fire brigade and many more, this helps reinforce this message.
At Park Hill Primary, we encourage children to make the right choices based upon respect for others. As a school, we educate and provide boundaries for young pupils to make choices safely, through provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons. Pupils are given important roles in school, such as School Councilors, corridor guides and a variety of pupil responsibilities throughout the school. Pupils are also encouraged to understand responsibility in school in terms of behaviour and attitude to learning.
Mutual respect is at the core of our school life. Part of our school ethos and behaviour policy has revolved around Core Values such as ‘Respect’, and pupils have been part of discussions and assemblies related to what this means and how it is shown. This is reiterated through our classroom rules, as well as our behaviour policy, and definitely through the relationships they see modelled between adults within our School Family.
Park Hill Primary is a diverse school and we actively promote diversity through our celebrations of different faiths and cultures. Religious Education lessons, RE themed weeks and PSHE lessons reinforce messages of tolerance and respect for others. Our multicultural activities illustrate our commitment to exploring our diverse school community. Members of different faiths and religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. Examples of this are, the celebration of Black History Month, our Islamic week awareness week, the celebration of Christian festivals throughout the year, the celebration of the Chinese New Year through themed activities and raising awareness of the Hindu faith through understanding about Diwali, the Festival of Light
Through our curriculum and the routines of our daily school life, we strive to demonstrate tolerance and help children to become knowledgeable and understanding citizens who can build a better Britain for the future.
The development of SMSC at Park Hill underpins our assembly programme. Monday’s assembly delivers the Word of the Week (the programme is worked out in advance for the year and consists of 39 words or phrases which have an overtly moral tone). All through the week teachers are constantly reminding children of that word or phrase and how it relates to each and everyone of us. At the end of the week assembly – the Celebration Assembly – class teachers choose a Star pupil for the week who’s actions throughout the past five days exemplify the Word of the Week.
