British Values at St Thomas'

British Values

To understand and follow these values, the children at St Thomas’ C of E Aided Primary School will develop;

• An understanding of how citizens can influence decision making through the democratic process
• An understanding that the freedom to hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law
• An acceptance that people having different faiths and beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated and should not be the cause of discriminatory behaviour
• An understanding of the importance of identifying and combating discrimination

As a school, we value and celebrate the diverse heritages of everybody at St Thomas’.  Alongside this, we value and celebrate being part of Britain.  In general terms, this means that we celebrate traditions and customs in the course of the year; for example, Harvest Festival during the Autumn term and trips to the pantomime at Christmas.

We also value and celebrate national focusses, for example Chinese New Year, Diwali, Anti-Bullying week, Children in Need and Save the Children Christmas jumper day.

Further to this, children learn about being part of Britain from different perspectives.  Two specific examples of when we teach about being part of Britain are:

Geographically – Our rivers, coasts and seaside topics ensure that children have a better understanding of what Britain is, learning more about:

• It’s coasts and rivers
• Where Britain is in relation to the rest of Europe and other countries in the world

Historically – Key moments in British history are studied, including The Great Fire of London, The Battle of Britain and significant historical figures

We have created 3 documents which show how we engage, teach and link; British Values (BV),  Christian Values (CV) and Opportunities for children's Social, Moral, Social and Cultural development (SMSC).