During a special assembly the children wrote an acrostic poem about what school means to them.

S Safe

C Care and kindness

H Hardworking and helpful

O Our school is responsible

O Our school is respectful

L Learn new things and listen

Fundamental British Values

Promoting British Values at Church Aston Infant School

The DfE have recently reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

“The Government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values have been reiterated this year (2014).

At Church Aston Infant School these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

We use Picture News throughout the year to help develop understanding of the following values and relate them to our young children experiences and the wider world.

Democracy:

Represented by Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “We all have the right to take part in the government of our country. Every grown up should be allowed to choose their own leaders.”

Each year the children discuss their class rules, why they are important and fair for everyone. All the children contribute to the drawing up their charter for the teaching of PSHE. We have a Pupil Council to which new members are voted on each year. They represent each of our three-year groups. The council meets regularly to discuss issues raised from children. The council is encouraged to share opinions and ideas and represent other children’s thoughts and ideas which help to effect change within the school. Children have opportunity throughout the year to respond through assemblies, class discussions and topics taught. Representatives of other Councils within the local area are introduced to the children such as local Councillors, Mayor etc to help children gain an understanding of democracy in the wider world.

The Rule of Law:

Represented by Article 8 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “We can all ask for the law to help us when we are not treated fairly.”

The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced at Church Aston Infant School. Pupils are taught the rules of the school from the very beginning. We have our Good to be Green rules that are reflected inside and outside, as well as rules for certain activities including forest school, playground activities and e-safety procedures. Pupils 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 laws are broken.

Individual Liberty:

Represented by Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “We all have the right to life, to live in freedom and safety”

At Church Aston Infant School, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young children to make informed choices, through a safe environment and an empowering education. Children are encouraged to know, understand, and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our e-safety, Speak Out Assemblies and PSHE lessons.

Mutual Respect:

Represented by Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “We all have the right a good life. Mothers and children and people who are old, unemployed or disabled have a right to be cared for.”

Mutual respect is at the heart of our values. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community treat each other with respect, there is an expectation that respect is for everyone and everything. This is reinforced through our Good to be Green Rules.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:

Represented by Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “We all have the right to believe in whatever we like, to have a religion, and to change it if we wish.”

Church Aston Infant School reflects a diverse community. We actively promote diversity through our celebrations of different faiths and cultures. Religious Education lessons and PSHE lessons reinforce messages of tolerance and respect for others. Members of different faiths and religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. We actively encourage children to look for similarities between faiths whilst also becoming aware of differences. The children visit places of worship that are important to different faiths.

Remembrance Day

We had a special remembrance assembly in school and in the classes we created beautiful poppies.

Children in Class 2 listened to the story 'One Boy's War' by Lynn Huggins-Cooper and thought about how they might feel and the surroundings they would have, they then went on to write letters home to a loved one. In art club they created beautiful poppies to display at the front of school.