British Values
The Department for Education expects schools to:
Create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
British Values
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Democracy
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The Rule of Law
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Individual Liberty
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Mutual Respect
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Tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs
At Pheasey Park Farm Primary School and Early Years Centre, we value and promote the diverse ethnic backgrounds of all children and families and undertake a variety of events and lessons to celebrate these. We have found this approach to be enriching for all parties as it teaches tolerance and respect for the differences in our community and the wider world. Underpinning all of these are a range of curriculum topics that have strong links to the history of Britain.
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The Curriculum Drivers of: Possibilities, Resilience and Diversity are interwoven in order to develop our children’s understanding of the British Values.
In our School, we reinforce a range of principles and values through our curricular and extra-curricular activities.
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Democracy
Democracy is established at our school and children have the opportunities to have their voices heard. Examples of this are:​
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Pupil Questionnaires:
Opportunities are provided for pupils to share their thoughts through Surveys.
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Pupil Committees:
Every September, children have the opportunity to nominate themselves to serve on one of the following committees:
• A* STARS Sheriffs
• Digital Champions
• Eco Committee
• Junior Safety Officers
• Reading Champions
• School Council
During Elections Week, nominees read out their nominations and year groups vote. School Councillors are voted for in classes. Pupil Premium and SEND pupils are encouraged and supported with their nominations and votes. Results are announced in a special assembly where pupils voted onto each committee are presented with their badge.
Badge Holders and Ambassadors are role models and promote the core British Values, Elston Hall Learning Trust Rules and Pheasey Values through the assemblies they undertake.
Librarians help to keep our Library organised and support our English Lead with special whole school events such as World Book Day. They know and can explain the Dewey System.
Well-Being Champions are trained and support our Learning Mentor with promoting looking after ourselves across school. They lead on initiatives including Mental Health Day.
Young Leaders are trained by our P.E. Lead to lead and support play and our lunchtime supervisors during lunchtimes in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.​
Individual Liberty
Individual Liberty Within school, children are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young children to make choices safely, through our provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Children are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised on how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons. Our Computing Curriculum uses resources from Purple Mash and Project EVOLVE. Our children are given the freedom to make choices for example during extra-curricular clubs and election voting.​
The Rule of Law
​The importance of Laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies. Children are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the Police, Fire Service etc. help reinforce this message. The School Council undertakes a visit to the Mayor’s Parlour and learns the role of the Mayor and the history of Walsall Mayors.
Mutual Respect
Our school ethos revolves around values such as ‘Understanding and celebrating our differences, and children have been part of discussions and assemblies related to what this means and how it is shown. Our school promotes respect for others’ and this is further reiterated through our classroom contracts​
Tolerance for those of Different Faiths
This is achieved through enhancing children’s understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity. Assemblies involving addressing belonging, prejudices and prejudice-based bullying plus relationships have been followed and supported by learning in RE, PSHE and History.
Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. Our RE curriculum focuses each term on another faith and we celebrate and respect these faiths. Our children and staff have celebrated various festivals and events including Diwali and Holi to experience the similarities and differences with our faith. There are extensive links with Beacon Church and undertaking our annual Year 5 Carol Service and Year 3 Easter Service strengthen this. Rev Chris Lane, Vicar of Beacon Church delivers half termly assemblies across school.
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​Pheasey prides itself on whole school celebrations which develop children’s cultural capital by providing a wealth of experiences.
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The Platinum Jubilee was celebrated in school with a special themed day and “tea party.” Events at Beacon Church and Collingwood Centre brought the community of Pheasey together.
The Commonwealth Games provided the opportunity for the whole school to participate in learning about the legacy of the Commonwealth Games and the continent of Africa. Pheasey’s location near to Alexander Stadium and Sutton Park encouraged pupils to attend and ‘tune’ into this historic event. We celebrated Pheasey’s success with coming second in the Trust Commonwealth Week of sporting events – a very proud moment!
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The passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II was a monumental time in history and was commemoratively marked in school with Remembrance assemblies and a Book of Condolences. Our school was welcomed to the Community Memorial Tea at Beacon Church.
Representatives attend the Barr Beacon War Memorial Service along with neighbouring primary and secondary schools, the Mayor of Walsall, local councillors and ministers. A wreath is laid on behalf of children, staff, parents and governors.
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A range of Charity Appeals are supported throughout the year:
• Harvest – local food bank
• Poppy Appeal
• Children in Need
• Operation Christmas Child
• Comic Relief/Sport Relief
• World Book Day
• Pyjamarama
• Sponsored event – Eco or Reading
Timezone history days bring key historical periods to life for our children linked to year group Topic themes.
Assemblies:
Weekly People of Significance, Wellbeing, Current News, Singing, and Congratulation assemblies are undertaken which uphold traditional values of respect, resilience and perseverance alongside current topics such as mental health, protected characteristics and Global Citizenship. These are also taught within weekly PSHE and RE lessons and through extra-curricular provision.
The British Values are interwoven across the curriculum.
Year Group Curriculum Themes
Year 6:
During Year 6, children undertake a study of ‘Journey to Jo’burg‘ by Beverley Naidoo. This story is set in South Africa during the apartheid years.
The Driver Projects of Maafa, Frozen Kingdoms, Off with Her Head and Darwin’s Delights enable our children to debate, reflect and build their resilience over a range of topics. The new topic in Religious Education – ‘Can religion help reduce racism?’ will enable exploration with key issues in society and how to challenge discrimination.
Year 6 children also learn about the British author Shakespeare and the impact of Shakespeare’s work in a special workshop.
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Year 5:
In Year 5 children study Friend or Foe which is a story set in World War 2. Children are taught about the impact that the military had in fighting for the British Empire. This is linked with the annual Remembrance celebrations where children purchase poppies and a minute’s silence is held in specially created assemblies for the school.
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‘Sow, Grow and Farm’, teaches the children the features and characteristics of land use in agricultural regions across the world. They learn about different types of farming and land use, particularly in the U.K. the children build on previous mapping skills to locate local farms, explaining what type of farming is in that area. The children will be taught about the world’s biomes, climate zones and vegetation belts and explain their common characteristics. Sow, Grow and Farm is brought to life by a visit to Pheasey allotments.
The new topic in Religious Education – ‘Respect for All – What will make Walsall a more respectful place?’ will enable children to think critically about inter-faith and friends/neighbours in their locality from differing cultures, races and religions.
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Year 4:
In Year 4, the features of rivers and mountains, identifying rivers and mountains around the world using atlases and the internet, and identifying the different mountain types and the uses of rivers are explored. Children listen to the first-hand experiences of a teacher who shares his experiences of climbing and the equipment he uses in a safe way.
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In our topic of Living Together we find out about how our school meets the needs of the community. This involves looking at the different groups that make up our community and the rules that they have.
Similarities and differences between Christian and Hindu beliefs will be explored in Religious Education throughout the year. A new topic is ‘Christian Aid and Islamic Relief’ and Muslim ways of living – Five Pillars will be concluded following on from prior learning in Year 3.
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Year 3:
In Year 3, the topic of ‘Urban Pioneers’’ focuses on graffiti and famous artists. The children explore the history of the Pheasey area as well as looking at landmarks in and around Birmingham. The children also conduct a study of the local area and observe how it has changed over time.
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During a topic called ‘Scrumdiddlyumptious!’ the children tuck in and enjoy a yummy journey of discovery, tasting fantastic fruits, venerable vegetables and tantalizing treats. They work up an appetite with delicious stories about food, have fun with food and explore the journey of food. The children will find exciting recipes to read – and write their own, too. Then get busy in the kitchen, making tasty dishes and discover how good food helps them grow fit and strong.
Jesus being an inspiration, the importance of Holy Books, Holy Buildings, Sacred Places and Why do people make pilgrimages will be the focus. The topic Muslim ways of living – Five Pillars will be started.
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Year 2:
In Year 2, children focus on the ‘Little People, Big Dreams’ books which are linked to significant individuals such as Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks, Mary Anning, Martin Luther King and Greta Thunberg. The stories explain the life of the individual and link closely with our History Topic of ‘Movers and Shakers’. We will look at different genres of writing such as setting descriptions, newspaper articles and instructions. We are continuing to consolidate our phonics knowledge this half term ready for an assessment in December.
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The topic of Coastlines is also a focus to develop locational knowledge by exploring on a world map the world’s seven continents and five oceans
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Year 1:
In Year 1, children focus on cycles of the year, and this includes celebrations in the United Kingdom. Linking to our children’s own lived experiences is paramount. We study how we celebrate at home and share our first-hand experiences with our peers. Special celebrations such as weddings and learning about how Christians, Sikhs and Muslims welcome a new baby.
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Year 1 focus on ‘School days’. The history of our school is looked at with comparisons made to what school life was like in the Victorian days. As part of Geography lessons, the children explore the local area and look at how it has changed over time. In English we focus on a range of stories including stories from around the world and traditional tales.
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Year Foundation Stage:
Ample opportunities are planned for children to learn about the school community and building friendships. They explore the school grounds and find out about all the people in school who are there to help them. They also explore how they are special and unique and how everyone’s family is different, find out about people in the community who help us, including doctors, nurses, and the emergency services and learn how to call for the emergency services, explore fingerprints and make funny photofit pictures.
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In Foundation Stage our children also explore ‘Do You want to be friends” discussing how we can be a good friend, celebrating our similarities and differences and talking about people who help us. We discuss giving each other compliments, creating a recipe for a good friend and learning how important it is to be sensitive to the needs of others. Self-portraits are created using collage materials, we take part in role play activities in our home corner and learn lots of new songs. Learning how to share and take turns with our friends is part of our Personal, Social and Emotional Development. New routines in Nursery and what we need to do to follow the Nursery rules are learnt. Different emotions and identifying what makes us happy and sad are explored.
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Year on year children build on their prior learning and children are prepared for life at secondary school and for outcomes and opportunities to thrive in later life.
The Curriculum Drivers of: Possibilities, Resilience and Diversity are interwoven in order to develop our children’s understanding of the British Values.
The 11 Year Pledge further supports this and both promotes and develops our children’s cultural capital.
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The wealth of events are celebrated via our school’s class pages and also on Twitter.