An independent school and nursery in Danbury, Chelmsford, Essex for boys and girls aged 2-11

Eves Corner, Danbury

Essex CM3 4QB

01245 223131

Eves Corner, Danbury

Essex CM3 4QB

07:20 - 19:00

Monday to Friday

01245 223131

enquiries@heathcoteschool.co.uk

Fundamental British Values

Fundamental British Values

At Heathcote, we think it very important that our pupils develop a strong set of values and principles, and that they question and understand what it means to grow up in British society. We promote the core aspects of British values through the SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) work that is integrated throughout every year group. Through rich and challenging citizenship and religious education lessons, PSHRE, form times and assemblies, we invite pupils to reflect upon their role in a diverse, multicultural and multi faith society.

In discussing what it means to be British, children engage critically with stereotypes and prejudices and develop an understanding of how we can celebrate our heritage and home cultures whilst also embracing the ties that bind us together. As a school community, we value and celebrate this country’s diverse heritage.   Alongside this, we value being part of Britain. In general terms this means that we celebrate traditions in the course of the year, for example, Harvest Festival and Remembrance Day during the Autumn Term.

We take our responsibility to promote community cohesion and generate a respect for difference and individual rights seriously. Our challenging curriculum enables pupils to recognise the valuable role that they play as emerging citizens in British society.

In addition, through the ethos of the school and the systems in place, British values are reinforced in the following ways:

Democracy

Within our school we have a school council which meets regularly.  The school council, which is elected in a democratic way, is the pupils’ opportunity to raise issues, organise events and activities for the school and put forward their suggestions for new initiatives.  Through all areas of the curriculum and at all stages of our school, children are taught the importance of listening to others and their viewpoint, allowing the pupils to gain a full understanding of democracy.

The Rule Of Law

The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced at Heathcote.  Pupils are taught from an early age the rules and values of our school. The stars and house point systems reward children for, amongst other things, good work, helpfulness and good levels of effort. Our celebration assembly on Fridays rewards children for attainment in areas such as timetables, caring for others (playground certificates) and overall effort (Star of the Week) to name but a few examples. Equally, the consistency shown in dealing with negative behaviour ensures that all children learn the importance of laws, not just within school but within the community and country.

Individual Liberty

Making the right choices and being responsible for them are important principles at Heathcote School.  All children receive equal opportunities and are encouraged to be independent in making the choice that is right for them.  Our pupils are actively encouraged to make informed choices, knowing that they are in a safe and a supportive environment. We provide boundaries for pupils to do this, thus empowering them to make good decisions.  This also incorporates understanding how to remain safe through PSHRE and E-safety sessions. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms.

Mutual Respect

Mutual respect is at the heart of our aims as a school. Children at Heathcote learn that their behaviour has an effect on their own rights and those of others. Listening to others and behaving as we would want others to behave towards us are important features of everyday school life.

Tolerance of Those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

At Heathcote, we actively promote diversity through our celebrations of different faiths and cultures. School assemblies, Religious Education lessons and PSHRE lessons reinforce messages of tolerance and respect for others. Members of different faiths and religions are invited in to speak in class and at whole school assemblies and, at various stages of their time at Heathcote, the children visit places of worship that are important to different faiths.

British History

Through the study of British history, pupils are taught to understand the different periods in our history in a chronological order. In addition, cross curricular topic work linked to the study of specific periods in British history underpins notions of our shared heritage, values and traditions.

Commitment to Charity Work

We encourage our pupils to participate in and support good causes and charities. This reinforces that there are large numbers of people both at home and overseas who are much less fortunate than ourselves and who deserve our support. The school and its pupils and staff support a range of charities each year to underline and reinforce this value in the school. Each ‘house’ group is allocated a term throughout the year when they organise events for the school charity.

All staff at Heathcote School and Nursery strive to ensure that our pupils leave with the strongest foundation of values upon which to build a successful life and make a positive contribution to our society.