At Bengeworth CE Academy, we are committed to serving our community and recognise the multi-cultural, multi-faith and ever-changing nature of the United Kingdom in which we live.  We also understand the vital role we have in ensuring that groups or individuals within our school are not subjected to intimidation, radicalisation or bullying.  We follow equal opportunities’ guidance which guarantees that there will be no discrimination against any individual or group, regardless of faith, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, political or financial status, or similar.

Promoting British Values at Bengeworth CE Academy

The Department for Education states that there is a need "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."

The government set out its definition of British Values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy.

Democracy

Democracy is embedded in everything we do at Bengeworth.  Pupils know that their thoughts and opinions will always be listened to by adults, as well as being taught to listen carefully and respectfully to each other, respecting the right of every individual to have their opinions and their voices heard.  We empower each and every pupil to be leaders by following a bespoke leadership curriculum which enables pupils to understand the qualities of being a leader.  Pupil voice is highly valued, and by ensuring that we listen and respond to that voice, we demonstrate our support for democracy and liberty.

Through our Pupil Parliament and pupil leadership groups, pupils have the opportunity to share and discuss their opinions and make a real difference to their school.  Elections of our Pupil Parliament members and House Captains are based solely on democratic pupil and staff votes which reflect our British electoral system and demonstrate democracy in action.  This builds on pupils’ understanding of our global curriculum themes of ‘Power and Governance’ and ‘Social Justice and Equity’ following an annual residential visit to London and the Houses of Parliament.

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws and rules, whether they are those that govern the class, the school or the country, are consistently reinforced at Bengeworth.  As with all organisations, our school has rules which are deeply embedded in our work every day and which exist to ensure that all pupils are able to flourish in a safe and supportive environment.  Each class also writes and agrees its own class promise which is signed and clearly understood by all and regarded as an important part of establishing shared expectations at the start of the academic year.

Our pupils are taught the values and reasons behind rules and laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws and rules are broken, building on pupils’ knowledge of our global themes of ‘Social Justice and Equity’ and ‘Peace and Conflict’.   Pupils are helped to learn to manage their behaviour and take responsibility for their actions through a restorative justice approach as set out in our Relationship-Based Behaviour Policy.  This helps pupils understand the connection between their actions, impact and consequences and enables pupils to feel safe and secure in school. 

Individual Liberty

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment.  Our pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely; examples of this can be clearly seen in our Online Safety and PSHE lessons.  Our pupils are given every possible opportunity to make their own choices and to develop their independence, learning that independence doesn’t mean just doing things by yourself.   By helping pupils understand how to be independent and respectful, we help them to understand their self-identity, interests and strengths, and therefore nurture the self-esteem and life skills pupils need for the next stage in their education and beyond.

Mutual Respect

As one of our six Christian values, the value of Respect underpins our ethos, interactions and the way that we treat everyone around us every day, both in and out of the classroom.  Pupils at Bengeworth know and understand there is an expectation that respect is shown to everyone, whatever differences we may have and no matter who we are.  Through our acts of worship, pupil leadership sessions and PSHE lessons, we take time to explore what respect means, how it is shown by others, and how this translates into the way we behave towards everyone around us.

Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

At Bengeworth, each person is respected and valued equally regardless of ability, gender, faith, disability, heritage or race.  Cultural appreciation and development forms part of our global curriculum, particularly through learning around ‘Identity and Diversity’.   Collective Worship sessions explore themes of tolerance and understanding, either directly or through the inclusion of stories and celebrations from a variety of faiths and cultures.  Our RE and PSHE curriculum provides a broad and balanced education and experiences for pupils to learn about a range of faiths, religions and cultures.