British Values, Equality & Diversity
Durham Lane Primary School
British Values
Durham Lane Primary School actively promotes the fundamental British values of:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect
- Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
This is achieved through the effective spiritual, moral and cultural development of our pupils, as part of a broad and balanced curriculum and extra-curricular activities, through our links with both the local community and the wider world. In promoting our pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, we demonstrate our commitment to actively promoting fundamental British values in ways which are appropriate to our pupils’ age and ability.
We enable our pupils to understand that, while different people may hold different views about what is right and wrong, all people living in Britain are subject to its law.
These values are taught through various aspects of the curriculum such as:
- Opportunity to vote in school elections for School Council and team captain positions, as well as being made aware of local and national elections;
- Being part of assemblies where Stockton Borough Council’s Democratic Services visit to discuss voting and democracy and then leave polling booths for the children to use in their own School Council elections;
- From learning about ‘People Who Help Us’ in the Early Years and attending ‘Crucial Crew’ in Year 6, we foster a culture of respect for authority;
- The whole school follows the ‘Golden Rules’. These rules have been negotiated with the children as fundamental guidelines for how to behave in our school;
- In PSHE, we teach the importance of rights and responsibilities;
- In RE, we embrace and acknowledge a wide range of faiths and beliefs through assemblies and class teaching. We have welcomed representatives from different religions including the Imam from a local Mosque and clergy from different churches. Children have also had the opportunity to visit places of worship including the Gurdwara and nearby churches;
- We celebrate our own achievements and those of others in sport, music, art and across the wider curriculum. This may include successes inside and outside of school;
- Through our topics, children are encouraged to develop a deeper understanding of their place in the local community and wider world;
- We encourage children to think of others who may not be as fortunate as themselves. We have achieved this through participation in national charitable events such as Comic Relief, Children in Need and Cause Christmas Hamper Campaign. We have also collected donations of food during our Harvest celebrations to support a local food bank and been involved with a local charity, Little Sprouts, which helps with “Holiday Hunger”;
- Pupils are given the freedom to make choices and attend extra-curricular activities such as the Eco Team. Children develop their own action plan of activities to help look after the environment.
