At St Patrick’s, we believe that children should grow up feeling safe, valued, respected and confident in who they are. We help our children understand the importance of living well together, making positive choices and respecting the rights, beliefs and opinions of others.
The Department for Education identifies the fundamental British Values as:
- Democracy – understanding that everyone has a voice, and encouraging children to share their views, listen to others and take part in decision-making.
- The Rule of Law – helping children understand why we have rules and laws, and the importance of making safe, responsible choices.
- Individual Liberty – encouraging children to become independent, confident thinkers who understand their rights and responsibilities and are able to make positive choices within the law.
- Mutual Respect and Tolerance – teaching children to value and respect people who may have different faiths, beliefs, cultures, backgrounds, opinions and experiences.
These values are not simply taught as individual lessons; they are lived and experienced every day as part of our school community. Through our relationships with one another, our curriculum, assemblies, discussions and wider school experiences, children are encouraged to understand what these values mean and how they can put them into practice.
Across all areas of learning, children are given opportunities to develop their understanding of fairness, equality, respect, responsibility and diversity. Religious Education, RSHE, assemblies and our wider curriculum provide particularly valuable opportunities for children to explore different beliefs, perspectives and ways of life.
We encourage every child to be creative, unique, curious, open-minded and independent. We want them to feel confident expressing their own ideas while also learning to listen to and appreciate the views of others.
Our aim is to nurture children who are kind, caring, respectful and responsible, who understand their place within their school, local community and the wider world. We want our children to leave us with the confidence, values and skills they need to make a positive difference — both to British society and to the world around them.
