Herringthorpe Infant School values the importance of pupil voice and appreciates the positive change that pupils can make. School has numerous pupil groups who support initiating change throughout school and the school community. Our school has a School Council, Global Council and a team of trained Playground Buddies.

British Values Statement

Our school is committed to actively promoting British values to ensure our pupils leave us fully prepared for life in modern Britain.

The government emphasises that all schools should ensure that they teach pupils about British values. We take every opportunity to promote the fundamental British values of:

• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

Through the promotion of these values, our school aims to ensure pupils:

• Understand the democratic process and how citizens can have a say in decision making.
• Recognise the advantages of living under the rule of law and how law is essential for a safe society.
• Understand that there is a separation of power between the executive and the judiciary and why it exists.
• Understand the reasons for accountability of institutions and why courts maintain independence.
• Know why freedom of religion protects all faiths, as well as those with no faith.
• Accept that people who hold different religious beliefs should be tolerated and not discriminated against.
• Value the importance of identifying and combatting extremism.

We promote British values both within and beyond the classroom and these values are at the heart of our ethos. Here are just some of the ways our school seeks to embed the teaching of British values.

School & Global Council

Pupils in KS1 can apply to become members of the School and Global Council. The election of the Council members reflects our British electoral system and demonstrates democracy in action: candidates make speeches, pupils consider characteristics important for an elected representative, pupils vote in secret using ballot boxes etc. Made up of one representative from each class, the School & Global Council meets regularly to discuss issues raised by the different classes. The council has its own budget and is able to effect change within the school. In the past, the School Council has hosted fundraising activities and helped to provide equipment for our school grounds as selected by the children. Both the School & Global Council are actively involved in providing teachers with feedback.

Pupil Voice:

Pupil voice is extremely important to us. Pupils are involved in decision making in and beyond their classrooms. An example of this is when our pupils worked alongside Image Playgrounds to design a new playground space. The pupils decided what they wanted the play equipment to look like. The pupils voted on the designs sent by the team and decided which design they wanted to become reality.

Pupil and parent/carer voice is sought at regular points throughout the year and this informs future planning and provision.

Day to Day Practice:

Children are faced with a variety of choices throughout the school day. Children express their own preferences and use voting systems to make decisions on certain provisions e.g. deciding which story they will listen to on the listening station; voting for a story (when given two choices) for the following day etc. This ensures that children recognise that they have a right to express their own preferences whilst also understanding the principal that the majority of opinion leads to the final decision.

An important part of British values is the understanding that any society or community can only work well, and protect all its members, if there are rules which everyone is expected to follow.

The importance of the rule of law is embedded in our school’s values:

Respect, Trust, Caring, Equality  Dedication, Commitment & Ambition

At the start of the school year, each class discusses the school values, the school rules and class routines. It is ensured that the principles are clearly understood by all to ensure that all children are able to learn in a safe and ordered environment.

Behaviour & Expectations

Aims of Herringthorpe Infant School’s Behaviour Policy:

· To encourage a calm, caring and purposeful atmosphere within the school.

· To foster respect towards everyone where all achievements are valued.

· To develop increasing independence so that each child learns to accept responsibility for their own behaviour.

· To have a consistent approach throughout the school.

· To make boundaries of acceptable behaviour clear.

 · To encourage parental involvement and cooperation.

· To ensure the safety of all children and staff.

Through our commitment to working towards UNICEF’s Rights Respecting Schools Award; each class creates its own agreed set of class rules at the start of each school year. This emphasises to children that with rights come responsibilities. Here are some examples:

Curriculum

This importance of following rules is explored through various avenues for example, through our E-Safety curriculum, PSHE lessons, assemblies, visitors etc. Our pupils understand that rules are put in place to keep themselves and other people safe. Our curriculum pays attention to rules in school but it is also linked to the local community to ensure children’s safety both in and out of school. Sessions supporting this involve examples such as; road safety training, NSPCC inputs, visits from the fire service/police service etc.

Within school, children are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment.

Curriculum

Our Learning Skills Curriculum and Enterprising ethos provides our pupils with the lifelong skills needed to be successful citizens. Enterprise’s Big 13 combined with the 6 learning skills ensures that children are explicitly taught key skills for independent learning. Enterprise develops learning by giving children responsibility and purpose. It raises aspirations by linking school with the world of work and business. Our pupils are expected to talk about the skills that they have used in their learning and discuss which skills they could have used more effectively. Links are explicitly made between the knowledge and skills they are learning; and how these are used in the world of work.

Classroom Provision

The 6 key learning skills are; Resilience, Reflection, Critical & Creative Thinking, Problem Solving, Communication & Teamwork. Dedicating time to teach these skills specifically allows our pupils to:

• Be effective and successful learners
• Solve problems with others by themselves
• Recover from setbacks and persist in the face of difficulties
• Work and play cooperatively
• Compete fairly and win or lose with dignity and respect for all competitors

All classrooms are set up to support independence. Children are familiar with the resources available and are able to choose and use equipment/strategies to support their learning.

Playground Buddies

Our pupils are taught skills to independently deal with and resolve conflict evenly and fairly. This in turn enables our pupils to make and sustain friendships. This is evidenced in the following ways:

• Our PSHE co-ordinator trains pupils to be Playground Buddies. These children have been working with Miss Gordon who has taught them how to lead games that all children can join in with at playtimes. 
• The Playground Buddies came up with the idea of a 'Buddy Bench'. This is a bench that all children can go to if they are feeling sad or simply have no one to play with. If one of the Playground Buddies sees someone sat at the bench then they will ask them if they are okay and will help them to find a game or will offer to play with them.
• The Playground Buddies have even met with Mrs Pepper and the School Governor's to tell them about the important things we have been doing
• In November they helped Miss Allen organise Odd Socks Day and help to deliver assemblies around Anti Bullying for Anti-Bullying week
• The hard work and dedication that the Playground Buddies have demonstrated have helped school achieve the Bronze Rotherham Anti Bullying award. 

Commitment to supporting SEMH needs

Our school understands that self-regulation is an important factor for independence. Therefore school is committed to supporting pupils to manage strong feelings such as frustration, anger or anxiety. Our school offers pastoral care and nurture interventions to ensure that pupils are in a calm state that promote the achievement of goals. This is evidenced in the following way:

• Staff are trained in a range of nurture group interventions; Theraplay, Lego Therapy, Sensory Circuits.
• A member of staff will be fully ELSA trained by the end of this academic year.

Throughout the academic year, our children are offered the opportunity to participate in numerous extra-curricular clubs, workshops and events which allow them to exercise their individual choice. Lunchtimes and snack times provide pupils with a menu that encourages independence of choice.

Our pupils know and understand that it is expected that respect is shown to everyone and to everything, whatever differences we may have. Children learn that their behaviour choices have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community are encouraged to treat each other with respect.

Anti-Bullying Team

At Herringthorpe Infants we have a dedicated team of Key Stage One children whose job it is to monitor and address bullying. These children are known around school as our Playground Buddies. The Playground Buddies are active at play times and work hard to make sure all children are happy and have people to play with. 

These children meet monthly with Miss Allen to discuss progress and to share what is going well. At these meetings we plan ways in which we can help make this school a happy place for everyone.

The children work closely with Ann Foxley Johnson from the Rotherham Anti Bullying Company. Mrs FJ has been into school to deliver training to our Buddies and has also lead whole school workshops such as 'Kindness Day' and 'Diversity Day'.

Our Playground Buddies have helped to develop a Child Friendly Anti-Bullying Policy and have also delivered assemblies about Anti-Bullying and Kindness to the rest of the school. 

Curriculum/School Experiences

At Herrringthorpe Infant School, we value the diverse ethnic backgrounds of all pupils and families. Our RE and PSHE curriculum focus on and celebrate similarities and differences in faiths and beliefs. Children are encouraged to share their own experiences when celebrating their own faith. Assemblies and discussions involving prejudices, stereotyping are followed up and supported by learning in RE and PSHE. Assemblies, theme weeks, celebration days and workshops offer our children enriched experiences to deepen their understanding, tolerance and knowledge of our culturally diverse society.

Commitment to working towards the Rights Respecting School Award

• Recognise and stand up for their rights and the rights of others
• Understand the value the differences and commonalities between people, respecting the rights of others to have beliefs and values different to their own.
• To respect and value our world, and the things, both material and alive that exist within it.

Click on the link below for a PDF version of Herringthorpe Infant School's British Value Statement: