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British Values
British Values
As part of our focus on the whole child we embrace our role in supporting our students to be aware of and celebrate the values that are fundamental to the society in which we all live, fully preparing them to flourish as they move into life in the wider community.
As a school rooted in faith, many of these values echo the Gospel Values that we teach and live out every day. These values are also taught as part of our curriculum, but below are some examples of how our students embrace British values within our school and wider community.
| Democracy & Rule of Law | The principle of democracy is consistently reinforced, with the democratic process being employed for important decisions within the school community and beyond, for instance the nomination and election of form captains, the position of Head girl / head boy and the sixth form prefect system. The principle of democracy is explored in History and Religious Studies as well as in pastoral time and assemblies.The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the classroom, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies. Students are taught the values and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Wider opportunities include taking part in mock general elections and referendums, as well as covering the local elections. Each year students take part in UK parliament week as well as the UK youth parliament ‘Make your Mark’ vote. Links with the local community include visits by the local MP as well as promoting the membership of the Gateshead Youth Assembly in schools. |
| Individual Liberty & Tolerance | Students are actively encouraged to make independent choices knowing that they are in a safe, secure and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for students to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and an empowering education. Students are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights, responsibilities and personal freedoms and receive advice about how to exercise these. Students have access to careers advice and are given choices to choose their GCSE, vocational, T Level and A Level courses.The promotion of tolerance of different faiths and cultures equips students with the ability to understand their place in a culturally diverse society. Opportunities to experience such diversity within the school community are promoted through incorporating annual events such as Black History Month to the wider curricular programme. All students experience a structured approach to RSHE through our pastoral programmes where global themes and cultures are explored. Furthermore, our Religious Studies curriculum provides a broad and balanced education on a range of faiths, religions and cultures. |
| Mutual Respect | Respect is at the core of our school ethos and the school behaviour blueprint promotes the behaviours of ‘being ready, being respectful and being safe’ throughout the school community. This is demonstrated and modelled through the promotion of respect between all students and staff within the school. The importance of mutual respect is also seen in the extra curricular programme in school especially within the different disciplines of sport and the pastoral inter house competitions. In line with our commitment to democracy students are always able to voice their opinions and we foster an environment where pupils are safe to agree and disagree with each other. The school forum allows students to discuss any issues and developments in school and this is shared with school leaders to help them make informed decisions that will benefit the community. |
St Thomas More Catholic School
Croftdale Road, Blaydon, Tyne & Wear, NE21 4BQ
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