british Values

It is ours, and every school’s responsibility 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.

At Belmont Juniors we promote these values in the following ways:

Democracy

At the beginning of each year children affirm the Belmont Way and the rights and responsibilities associated with these. Every child and staff member abides by these. The children and staff actively engage with each other to create harmonious learning environments where everyone is responsible.

We have a School Council to which members are voted each year by their peers. Children write a statement to support their proposal to be their class representative and the children decide who will best represent them. Children understand that a place on the School Council comes with the responsibility of representing their peers’ needs and interest.

We encourage children to be leaders throughout the school and we have a number of activities and responsibilities that are undertaken by the children. For example, children from Year 6 are play leaders at Belmont Infants. They support and encourage children to take part at i.e. by inviting them to join in with games or craft activities.

Democracy is taught during assemblies and during class-based PSHE sessions. Children have opportunities to express their views through pupil interviews and questionnaires. Pupils have surveyed the views of their peers and this has fed into lunchtime menus for the whole school.

The Rule of Law

Behaviour and safety are consistently good and are seen as a priority by the entire school community. Children know what is expected of them, why rules are so important, and what the consequences are if they do not follow them. Children at are well aware of what an exciting curriculum they have and their sustained excellent behaviour enables them to develop into confident and independent learners.

We ensure that children are acutely aware of the responsibilities that come with having rights. Children develop a thorough understanding of personal responsibility and develop independence in managing relationships and behaviour. Through our whole school approach using restorative conversations, children to develop the language and strategies to solve conflict and right wrongs. We regularly involve parents and carers in this process and are also committed to working closely with a number of other agencies and organisations to support us in developing this understanding.

We offer a range of opportunities for children to be leaders throughout the school, and they understand that the rules we have permeate through all activities and events. Children understand their behaviour and regard for the rules extends beyond the school itself, such as acting as school ambassadors while on school trips.

Individual Liberty

Belmont Juniors is a safe place for children and cultivates a supportive environment.

We teach our children to know that they have boundaries within which they make choices safely through the provision of a nurturing mindset and empowering education. Children are encouraged to know, understand, and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised on how to exercise these safely, for example through E-Safety and PSHE lessons.

Whether it is through choice of challenge, of how they record learning, or of participation in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, children are given the freedom to make choices. They are encouraged to challenge their personal best by giving them ownership of their own learning. Children regularly have next steps shared with them, whether verbally or with written feedback in books so they know exactly what they can do to progress.

Mutual Respect

The ethos of our school nurtures an understanding of mutual respect and it underpins the engaging teaching and learning . School life abides by our values of perseverance, learning, generosity of spirit and collaboration.

Assemblies regularly cover the meaning of respect; children participate in discussions related to what this means and how we show it. We believe it is important to celebrate diversity in many ways, for example through raising awareness and understanding of members of our school community through 'Celebrating Difference Week’.

When a child does well, their achievement is shared through classroom recognition boards or in Good News Assembly. We celebrate positive attitudes and hard work. Learning and effort are highly respected and the whole school is focused on developing an intrinsic sense of worth and achievement.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

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.

We are lucky to be situated in one of the most diverse boroughs in London and because of that we are rich in both cultures and languages, with over thirty different languages represented amongst staff and children.

We hold assemblies to celebrate and learn about the numerous religious festivals that happen throughout the school year and often draw on the diverse communities our children come from by involving parents and carers. We harness cultural links in our classes, through our curriculum and often reach out into the community to support our teaching as well as organising trips that give pupils an insight into others way of life.

Children experience influences from all over the world in their classrooms. Our value of collaboration ensure children develop respect for others, developing strong and lasting relationships that enable our community to be strong and cohesive.