Statement on British Values
At Larkholme School we believe in the importance of inclusivity and celebrating everyone for their differences. We follow the British values throughout our school and within our curriculum as we believe they are important to the holistic approach to teaching a child. The British values are democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs (and for those without faith)
By following these values our children 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
Democracy
We all have a say.
At Larkholme we believe it is important for all children to have a say and that the parents voice is heard. We achieve this in many different ways:
- In Larkholme we have a school council. Children are elected from each class and can bring any class concerns to the council which runs each week. The council also makes decisions that will help the running of the school such as, discussing the lunch options and different toys/activities we could get for the school playground.
- We have a PTFA which allows the parents to be as involved as much as possible in the school day to day running and school events.
- We have visitors which come into school to teach children the importance of democracy, such as the local MP, we also celebrate parliament week each year.
The Rule of Law
Teaching children the importance of right and wrong.
In Larkholme we believe that children should be involved in as much of the rule making process as possible but that they should also understand why rules are important and why we should follow them.
- We follow a school behaviour policy and every classroom has a behaviour chart which the children understand and can use themselves. This allows them to take responsibility for their actions.
- We also have visitors who come into school to help further enhance why rules should be followed. An example of this would be a judge who will explain the rules of England, why we have them and what happens if they are not followed. We have also had visits from ‘cyber Dave’ who talked to year 6 about cyber activity and the law.
Mutual Respect and Tolerance of Different Faiths and Beliefs
To show respect for others and expect them to show us respect.
At Larkholme we celebrate different religions and their important days.
- We have regular assemblies throughout the year to teach the children about these different religions/cultures and explain why their important dates are so special and meaningful.
- We have weekly PSHE and RE lessons which teach the children about multiple religions and cultures.
- Throughout the year, we invite people from different religions, faiths and backgrounds into school to lead fun activities, workshops or assemblies to promote a wider learning environment for the children.
Some students from Rossall School came to speak to our year 5 and 6 pupils about their different religions. We learnt what it was like to follow different faiths including Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism. We would like to say a big thank you to Rossall for giving up their time to come and speak to us. It was great to listen to such inspirational young people and learn about their different beliefs. Our pupils were really engaged and thoroughly enjoyed the session. They had the opportunity to ask questions and learnt lots of interesting facts – who would have known that one Buddhist festival involves a water fight in the streets!
Assembly by international students from Rossall
We had two Sikh visitors in school yesterday who talked to our children about their religion and beliefs. This is part of the Building Bridges programme where we have made links with other religions and have invited them into school to support our RE curriculum.
Dr Armrit and Hardeep visited to teach the children about the Sikh faith. They talked about the origins, the Gurus, the five Ks, gender equality, head coverings, the importance of food, training that they go through e.g Marshall arts and so much more. They played songs, showed videos and gave a presentation. The children were able to look at and handle the artefacts.
We would like to say a huge thank you to them both for a fantastic day!
Remembrance Day
Diversity workshop for pupils and families
Regular visits from Rev Katie
Individual Liberty
Freedom of choice and the right to express views in a safe environment.
Every child in Larkholme is unique and should be treated as such. Our aim is to ensure that every child feels safe to be who they want to be.
- We believe in the importance of a strong anti-bullying culture and ensure this is met through weekly PSHE lessons and circle time sessions. We have also had training from pupils from Cardinal Allen to create our own ant-bullying ambassadors team. We have created the Larkholme Friends who have worked closely with the Kindness Counts charity to promote acts of kindness and caring towards each other.
- We also believe in challenging stereotypes and hold event/s each year to show the children that genders and stereotypes are not defined.
