Equal Opportunities & British Values
Equal Opportunities Statement
Equal opportunities permeate all aspects of school life, and is the responsibility of every member of the school community.
We aim to ensure that our planning, teaching and learning reflects our specific commitment to equality of opportunity in all subject areas and themes in line with the National Curriculum and that planning takes account of the differing needs of pupils and their progression.
Eastergate CE Primary School promotes the fundamental British values of:
- democracy,
- the rule of law,
- individual liberty,
- mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
Through our Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) Curriculum we:
- enable children to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence;
- enable children to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England;
- encourage children to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and to understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality of the school and to society more widely;
- enable children to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England;
- enable children to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures strengthening tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions;
- encourage respect for other people;
- encourage respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic processes, including respect for the basis on which the law is made and applied in England.
By the time children leave Eastergate CE Primary School, they should have:
- an understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process;
- an appreciation that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and is essential for their well-being and safety;
- an understanding that the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law;
- an acceptance that other people having different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour;
- an understanding of the importance of identifying and combating discrimination.
At Eastergate CE Primary School we address aspects of British Values through the following ways:
Democracy
- School Council
- Class opportunities to vote
- Debating issues (verbally and in writing)
Rule of Law
- Magistrates - Yr6
- School Rules - Rewards and Consequences
- Police Liaison Officer
- Romans - invention of laws
- Vikings and Law – Yr 3/4
Respect and Tolerance
- RE curriculum covers - Christianity, Judaism, Islam
- Behaviour Policy
- Restorative Justice
- French Culture
- Visitors to school
Liberty
- Freedom of speech
- Assemblies - exploring key historical figures
- Use of good texts in English that addresses these themes
Cultural Traditions
- English Curriculum
- Year groups linked to Continents
- French Curriculum
- Celebrating events in the British Calendar and Church Year, e.g. Remembrance Day, Advent, Christmas, Easter