Being British

There has been much media interest over the concept of ‘Britishness’ in our schools, and this has been further highlighted in a recent statement from the Prime Minister. It is for this reason that we set out how ‘Being British’ has been taught and promoted at Morice Town this year.
 
 
Democracy 
In September children from Year 1 and up are elected to our School Council and have the role of listening to and acting upon the views of their peers. They have met regularly to discuss and find solutions to whole school issues. This year, our Year 6 pupils also have the responsibility of being ‘Prefects’ who take an active lead in organising inter-house competitions and school events throughout the year. At Morice Town, teachers regularly ask the views of the children in all class, to help us make the ‘Morice Town experience’ even better.

The School Council has also played an active role in creating and analysing the annual pupil questionnaires and will present an action plan to the Headteacher and Governors in July. Their opinions are held in high esteem and usually integrated into the school’s development plan.
 
 
The Rule of Law
The importance of laws, whether they govern the class, the school or the country are consistently reinforced at Morice Town. Our curriculum helps all our children understand the need for ‘rules’ as a way of protecting our school community and the consequences when laws are broken. The school has invited  representatives of the Police and Fire Service who reinforced this message, as well as visits from the RNLI. Collective worship also plays a part in helping children see the need to follow laws to ensure we uphold our strong Christian values.
 
 
Freedom and Tolerance
Within school, children are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. We have created a school that is supportive of our pupils; a school that encourages our children to take risk and reflect on their achievements and mishaps. This enables the children to make the right choices. It also gives children the vocabulary to enter into a dialogue with others in their decision making.

It is equally important for all our pupils to learn that everyone has their own view or way of doing things and that it is important that we show ‘tolerance’ of these differences. Assemblies and story-telling are just two of the ways that we have promoted the concept of tolerance towards others. For our older pupils, discussions over current affairs have been the theme for class discussions. All classes join in a week-long ‘World culture’ event and learn about the experience others have in different parts of the world.
 
 
Respect
Respect is a core school value which is celebrated. The school fosters respect for each other, the school, the community and beyond. Staff maintain a respectful relationship with each other, the children and their parents. We are keen to support and encourage children’s interests, both in and out of school. Our school values, of which respect is just one, permeate the school and our reward systems.
 
 
Tolerance of those in Different Faiths and Beliefs
This is achieved through enhancing pupils understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience some of this diversity. Collective Worship and Multi-cultural assemblies have been used to raise awareness of life beyond our local area. Our curriculum frequently involved discussions that focus on challenging prejudices.
 
The teachers are highly skilled in creating classroom environments where the children feel safe in expressing their views and where these can be challenged in a considered and age appropriate way. We actively encourage children and parents from different cultural backgrounds to share their experiences with school (for example, a parent from Iran brought food from her home country and shared her experience of school life). Members of different faiths or religions are utilised as a curriculum resource to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school.