The British Values of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and harmony with different faiths are woven into our school through our Christian Values, Keys to Learning, curriculum and educational visits. 

Democracy

We teach our children the meaning and importance of democracy first through experience, by giving children the opportunity to elect class members for one of our child leadership groups to represent them in decision-making. Chldren also have the chance to experience real-world democracy in action, for example through visits to the local council chambers. 

Rule of Law

Through our behaviour policy, the children come to understand the idea of rule of law and consequences for breaking the rules. Our children learn more about the law from visitors such as a local magistrate, who teaches them about criminal and civil law, the role of the courts, their responsibility for their own actions and the consequences of breaking the law. 

Individual Liberty

Individual liberty is the right to believe, act and express oneself freely, within the bounds of the other four British Values. This is something which our children are encouraged to do through open discussion across the curriculum and specific education about key issues such as gender stereotyping, same-sex relationships and identity in PSHE lessons. Children are given opportunities to explore and express their personalities and beliefs throughout our curriculum. 

Respect

As one of our Keys to Learning, Respect is central to our school's ethos. We encourage children to respect and understand different viewpoints through studying a wide range of texts which encourage children to reflect on differences in mental and physical health and ability, age, cultural and economic background, and family relationships.  

Across the curriculum we teach children to be respectful when learning about other cultures, for example when learning about life in different countries around the world. We strive to avoid stereotyping and promote understanding and appreciation of different cultures. Our children are given opportunities to work with different groups of people within our local community, for example delivering harvest parcels to elderly neighbours, reading stories and chatting to dementia sufferers and singing to people with disabilities at nearby care homes. 

Harmony

Tolerance and harmony with people of all beliefs depends on understanding; for this reason, all our children are given the opportunity to visit a range of places of worship during their time at Snodland. In Religious Education they are encouraged to ask questions and find out about different faiths, world views and denominations, looking at similarities before differences and engaging in respectful discussion. 

 

Views, language and behaviour which contradict these fundamental British Values are always challenged by staff and often by other pupils. Discussion is used to encourage children to question those views, where they come from and their validity. Clear policies dictate staff responses to incidences of racism, homophobia and possible radicalisation; these are always recorded and dealt with immediately. 

Children at Snodland are encouraged to develop a sense of responsibility and to contribute positively to society. They are given opportunities to take part in litter picking in the local area and campaigns to encourage safer driving; they raise money for local as well as global charities and they volunteer to perform at local events. Our goal is that our children will leave the school eager to become a valuable, responsible member of society, able to engage with everyone they meet and keen to be a force for good.