Promoting British Values

Our school vision and ethos incorporates the fundamental British values of: democracy; individual liberty; the rule of law; mutual respect; tolerance of those with different faiths and belief.

These values are promoted not only through the curriculum but also through student experiences, displays, assemblies, the behaviour system, Academic Tutorial programme extra-curricular clubs and the Learning 4 Life Curriculum

The Department for Education outlines a five-part definition of British values:

• democracy
• the rule of law
• individual liberty
• mutual respect
• tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

Our Values At Gateacre

We believe that the following list exemplifies some of the values held dear by British citizens:

• Democracy
• Respect of the rule of law
• Appreciation of the rights of other citizens
• Individual liberty
• The promotion of opportunities for all
• Support for those who cannot, by themselves, sustain a dignified life-style
• Religious tolerance and respect for cultural diversity
• Treating others with fairness
• Participation in community life
• The contribution to, as well as the benefit from, cultural and economic resources

Although this list is not exhaustive, we believe it encapsulates the attitudes that Gateacre School values and seeks to inculcate in its young people.

Democracy

We promote the importance of democracy through such things as:

School council

Mock Elections for House captains and House charities

Student Voice on key areas of school life

Students are encouraged to voice their thoughts across all curriculum areas by responding to teacher feedback in books, careful questioning by staff, the work they produce and classroom dialogue

We have a student council who are members of Liverpool School Parliament

Students learn about democracy in citizenship lessons and assemblies

Mock elections

Individual Liberty

Individual liberty is promoted through such things as:

Students are introduced to a range of beliefs and issues so that they are able to make more informed choices for themselves

Our broad and varied curriculum equips students with the knowledge and skills to broaden the choices they make about future employment and education

Students are able to make choices about the courses they will study at Key Stage 4

Rule of Law

The importance of the Rule of Law is promoted through:

The Behaviour for Learning Policy

The rules (Teacher’s Standards), students (Student Code of Conduct), and Governors.

We liaise closely with outside agencies including the Police

The Acceptable Use Policy is used to promote correct use of the internet

Students are explicitly taught the legal framework on a number of contemporary and social issues

Safeguarding policy

Our Learning 4 Life Curriculum

Mutual Respect

In school we promote the importance of mutual respect through such things as:

Behaviour policy and Code of Conduct

School Equality Duty and Equal Opportunities policies

Curriculum areas such as RS, PSHE and Art help students to learn about a wide range of people, cultures and beliefs

Tolerance of Those with Different Faiths and Beliefs

We promote the importance of different faiths and beliefs through:

Our school ethos

Our RS Curriculum

Our Citizenship Programme

The curriculum helps students to learn about a wide range of people, cultures and beliefs and so develops students ability to make informed decisions, form and be confident in their own identity and understand and respect that of others. 

• All of our students participate in one 30 minute lesson per week of Citizenship Education from Years 7-13 with themed sessions per term
• The Learning 4 Life Curriculum has a citizenship module in each of Years 7-13 , these modules are delivered by teachers with an area of expertise
• Government and Politics is offered as an option for A Level study
• Assemblies held once a week led by the Head of House or a senior member of staff
• The school’s system of organising students in houses encourages involvement of every pupil in school life
• The school supports local, national and international charities. Many of our students take part in the Duke Of Edinburgh , National Citizen Service and World Challenge
• All our students study RS (also known as Philosophy and Ethics) from Year 7-11. RS GCSE is offered as an option in Key Stage 4, with the remaining students following a non-examined programme of study in Belief and Ethics.
• The British values of Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those of different faiths are foundational to all areas of Religious Study at Gateacre