Priestlands School Values – Including British Values
Priestlands is dedicated to developing young people who will go on to become successful and happy members of society. We are committed to delivering an education which goes beyond exam success and the academic curriculum, and which will support our students to improve their future life chances.
Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural values at Priestlands develop self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence. They ensure our students can distinguish between right and wrong and have a respect for the law. Students are expected to take responsibility for their actions and the choices they make.
Priestlands aims to combine its core values with the Government’s British Values and to ensure that they are a part of everyday life and expectation both at school and in the wider community.
Priestlands values are that students should be: Creative, hard-working, enthusiastic, happy, kind and honest.
The Government laid out its vision for British Values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy. In the Government strategy there are five British Values. They are:
- Democracy
- Rule of Law
- Individual Liberty
- Mutual Respect
- Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
These values are delivered and modelled through the curriculum via subject areas: PSHCE, Life Skills and Ethics. Further opportunities are provided through assemblies, visiting speakers, the student council and extra-curricular opportunities.
Priestlands is dedicated to ensuring that students leave school with a strong foundation of values.
Democratic processes are used to make important decisions for example, when electing tutor reps and the Student Council members and when electing Head Boy and Head Girl. The principles of democracy are explored in Ethics, History and Religious Education.
Whether it is the laws governing classrooms, school or the community, they are reinforced and modelled. Students are taught to value and understand the reasons behind laws, including how they are there to protect us and keep us safe. It is important that students understand the importance of their own responsibility with regard to the law and the consequences should the laws be broken.
Students are actively encouraged to make independent choices, to know and understand their freedoms and to exercise them safely, for example E-Safety. Priestlands prides itself on its culture of anti-bullying.
Respect plays a key role in the school’s values, rules and behaviour policy. Students must understand how their behaviour affects their own rights and those of others. Mutual respect should be embraced in all aspects of school life.
Students are encouraged to understand their place in a multi-cultural society. Students are provided with opportunities to experience and learn about diversity through: PSHCE, Life Skills, assemblies and national awareness days and weeks.