British values have always been central to the work that goes on at Durrington High School and within our school community. We recognise the multi-faith, multicultural and the evolving landscape of Britain and want to prepare our students for this. The Department for education has identified five British values that are key to the ongoing work at our School:
Democracy
The rule of law
Individual liberty
Mutual respect
Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs
We promote and educate our students in these British values through our curriculums and also our period one provision. We want students to leave Durrington High School with a clear sense of belonging and understanding of how our society works.
Linked to this are our principles of kindness, aspiration, perseverance and pride. In the table below you can see how British values and KAPP underpin everything that we do at our school.
|
KAPP value |
Link to British values |
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Kindness
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A huge part of being kind is making sure that you are tolerant and respectful of all students in our community. Everyone has the right to this and for their views and opinions to be respected. |
|
Aspiration
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We expect every student to make the decision to aspire to go beyond their best. This will give you more options in the future and enhance your individual liberty later in life. |
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Perseverance
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Perseverance allows individuals to strive for their aspirations and make the most of their freedoms and opportunities at school. |
|
Pride
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We want students to have pride in our school and to understand the role that they play in helping us make our school the best possible place for all. |
How our British values are promoted within our curriculums.
Democracy
The principle of democracy is consistently reinforced at Durrington High School in a number of different ways. Every week students have a dedicated 30 minutes where current affairs stories are studied during our In the news sessions. During these sessions students are exposed to political news and discussions as to how our political system works. This includes a focus on general elections, local elections and referendums. Students also take part in voting for our senior student leadership team every year, their representatives in school.
Alongside this our school curriculum allows for greater investigation into what exactly democracy is and how it impacts the lives of people in Britain theses include:
History – The fight for suffrage from the Great Reform Act to female suffrage.
Citizenship – The development of the British constitution and how it works.
PE – Students work in teams and co-operate to nominate team leaders through democratic means.
The rule of law
For society to be successful it has to be clear that everyone knows that the law applies to them, this is no different at Durrington High School. We have a clear set of school rules that all students are expected to follow. When new students start at school everyone is expected to sign and agree to our home school policy, clearly outlining these high standards.
Within our curriculums the rule of law is also explained through a number of different ways that include:
Drama – The case of Derek Bentley and the death penalty
SME – Staying safe online, bullying and consent
Science – The legal parameters of embryological work and cloning.
Individual liberty
At Durrington High School we want students to make their own choices in a safe and supportive environment. We encourage students to take part in a large number of extra curricular clubs and activities. Once our students reach year 9, they have the opportunity to make their option choices and to choose which subjects they wish to specialise in going forward.
Again our school curriculums further support this through a number of different ways:
Geography – Students will investigate China and their policies on birth control and relationships.
Music – A variety of different instruments and types of music make up the curriculum and extracurricular activities.
English – Students are encouraged to interpret and explain the meaning of poetry from a number of different time periods.
Mutual respect
Our Durrington High School behaviour policy has respect and personal responsibility at its heart. One of our key values is kindness and we encourage this in all our students through participation in charity events that benefit our local community and beyond. As well as this, day to day expectations and what a kind student should be are at the core of our school. Mutual respect and education is also promoted through the topics and content that are taught on our broad and balanced curriculums. Some examples are below:
Assemblies – This is where awareness is raised around issues of equality in our community
History – Topics such as slavery and the Holocaust show what happens when mutual respect is not considered.
Period one – Issues from around the world are discussed with our students, encouraging empathy.
Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs
Our school is made up of students and staff from a number of different cultures and faiths and we believe that this should be celebrated. In our ever changing world it is more important than ever to make sure that education is supplied about other faiths in an effort to increase tolerance. We raise awareness of some of the dangers in our world for students during our social and moral education, making sure that they are aware of the dangers that intolerance can breed.
Our SME curriculum is not the only way in which we do this, our other subjects also include information about different faiths;
Maths – Mathematicians from around the world are referred to during maths lessons
Assemblies – They include topics about gender, sexuality and different religions
History – The different phases of immigration to the UK and positive impact that this has had on what being ‘British’ means.
