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Here at St. Clare's RC Primary School we seek to live out the values of Jesus Christ. We promote these values by our words and deeds and Catholic doctrine. We provide a Catholic curriculum, which is broad and balanced, recognising that every pupil is unique and is created in the image of God (Gen 1:27). Our curriculum is designed to enable every pupil to discern their vocation and to be well-equipped to follow it as active citizens in service to the world. We also provide a wide range of extra-curricular activities and strong pastoral support. We incorporate democratic principles, value the rule of law, support individual liberty and foster a community in which different faiths and beliefs are respected.
The DfE reinforced the 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.”
St. Clare's actively promotes the fundamental British values of:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
Democracy
Our pupils have many opportunities for their voices to be heard. We have a school council which meets regularly to discuss a variety of issues. Pupils also have opportunities to use their pupil voice to vote for the rewards they are given.
Children in KS2 participate in a weekly debating club. Pupils work hard throughout the year to enter in an inter-school Debating Championship. It involves debating appropriate, relevant topics against other schools in the locality for the accolade of Debating Champion. Debating is an extremely important skill for children to learn, as acquisition of the skills of persuasion appear heavily on the KS2 curriculum and are an important future life skill for children to possess. Children are extremely aware of current affairs and thrive on the opportunity to present and discuss their points of view.
In addition, pupils in Years 5-6 can apply for positions as School Chaplains; our faith ambassadors. They support children and classes in their faith journey whilst leading prayers during whole school masses.
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, through school assemblies and in our PSHE (personal, social and health education) curriculum. Pupils 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. External visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service help reinforce this message.
Individual Liberty
Within school, pupils 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 pupils to make choices safely, through provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons. Pupils are given the freedom to make choices.
Our pastoral policies and schemes such as the, School Offer, Behaviour Policy, Anti-Bullying Policy, Equality Policy and E-Safety Policy, ensure that all children can learn in a safe environment. Children are actively encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms. They are taught how to keep themselves safe. We work with agencies such as Childline, Greater Manchester Police, Fire Service and Health professionals. In addition, we have themed weeks to cover e safety and anti-bullying weeks.
Mutual Respect
Mutual respect is at the heart of our values. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community treat each other with respect.
Our school ethos is built around our mission and vision statements (influenced by Gospel values). It is these Gospel Values: trust, joy, mercy, striving, nurturing, friendship, acceptance, care, patience, peace and hope that underpin everything we do. They are at the heart of assemblies, prayer and liturgy, school council meetings and in staff meetings. We regularly ask parents and carers for their views on our school (Parent/Carer Voice) and how it meets the needs of their child in terms of their happiness and well-being. We hope that by living in an environment where mutual respect is demonstrated daily they will enter the wider world understanding its importance.
Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs
St. Clare's is situated in an area which culturally diverse, therefore we place a great emphasis on promoting diversity with the children. We achieve an understanding and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs by developing every child's awareness of their place in a culturally diverse society. We want our children to understand the wider community they live in as well as the global community and how they can contribute to both and make a difference. Assemblies are regularly planned to address this issue either directly or through the inclusion of stories and celebrations from a variety of faiths and cultures. Our RE, PSHE curriculum teaching reinforces this. Every Year, classes learn about other religions and faiths during our World Religion Week. Children also learn about celebrations in other faiths and cultures such as; Chinese New Year; Jewish festivals such as Chanukah, Rosh Hashanah and Islamic festivals such as Ramadan and Eid.
St. Clare's will actively challenge pupils, staff or parents expressing opinions contrary to fundamental British Values.