Promotion of British values

At Halstead we recognise not only the importance of allowing students to flourish academically but we also embrace our wider role in preparing them for their adult life beyond the formal examined curriculum.

Part of our role in that preparation is ensuring that we promote and reinforce British values to our students.

The government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy and considered them to be democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs. At this school these values are reinforced in a pervasive manner and permeate the school community.

The examples that follow are an indication of some of the many ways we seek to embed British values at this school and should be seen as an indication of our approach rather than an exhaustive list.

Democracy

At Halstead the principle of democracy is consistently reinforced, with the democratic process being employed for important decisions within the school community; for instance, amongst other things, holding elections for our House Captains & School Council and deciding as a school community on the half termly ‘Good to Be Green’ rewards. Each class develops their own Class charter with the class teacher.

The principle of democracy is explored in History and Religious Studies as well as in assemblies.

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 and through school assemblies.

Students are taught the value and reasons behind rules and laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when these are broken.

Individual Liberty

Within Halstead, 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 empowering education.  Students are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and receive advice about how to exercise these safely, for example through our exploration of E-Safety in Computing.