British Values

‘With Christ at our centre, we love, listen and learn’

Through our school mission statement, we at Our Lady & St Joseph Catholic Primary School are committed to modeling and teaching both British and Gospel Values. Along with our Governors, we are continually striving to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. Our curriculum and policies demonstrate that we expect all children to have an awareness and respect for others, take responsibility for their own actions, understand their responsibility as a positive member of society and have an awareness of British values and traditions.

We teach our children British Values through every aspect of school life and we also work closely with the local and wider community to foster positive relationships and aspirational role models for the pupils at Our Lady & St Joseph.

Democracy

At Our Lady & St Joseph, we actively model and promote democracy within our school, and this is achieved in a variety of ways, to ensure that our pupils are equipped to fulfill their responsibilities as citizens of a democracy.

How we promote democracy at OLSJ:

Elect class representatives for the school council
Pupil interviews
School Council
Class debates
Philosophy for Children (P4C)
Critical thinking in PSHE lessons
Independent research and teamwork
Year 6 visits to parliament
Visits to and from the fire services
Visits to and from the metropolitan police
Voting using ICT in lessons
Suggestion boxes
Caritas Week and Corporal Acts of Mercy
Have knowledge of inspirational figures such as Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela

The Rule of Law

At Our Lady & St Joseph we actively model and promote the rule of law within our school, and this is achieved in a variety of ways to ensure that our pupils understand why rules and laws are necessary in their classes, in our school and across society as a whole.

How we promote the rule of law at OLSJ:

Our School Mission statement
Our Gospel Values
Our School Behaviour Policy
Charities (Cancer Research coffee morning, Neighbours in Poplar, Sport Relief)
Weekly Gospel Value certificates which celebrate children who follow our school rules and values
Philosophy for Children (P4C)
Visits from the police and fire services.
Online safety talks
Participation in Armistice Services within the community
Parent workshops e.g. on employment, child development and online safety etc.

Individual Liberty

At Our Lady & St Joseph, we actively model and promote pupil’s individual liberty. We encourage pupils to exercise their rights and freedom by making safe choices through our provision of a safe learning environment.

How we promote individual liberty at OLSJ:

Online safety week
Equal opportunities for all children embedded in policy and practice
Our Behaviour Policy
Challenge stereotypes through visitors into school
Interfaith week
International week
Careers Day
Disability awareness
Anti-bullying week
Implement a strong anti-bullying culture through policy and practice
PSHE
Aspirational targets
Range of extra-curricular clubs offered

Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Belief

OLSJ is a multicultural school, united by our Catholic faith. We actively model and promote the Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs by providing the opportunities to learn about other cultures. We also appreciate British traditions and customs, through themed assembly. With over 30% of our pupils having EAL we value the diverse ethnic backgrounds of our families and undertake a variety of events and lessons to celebrate these.

How we promote mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and belief at OLSJ:

Our School Mission Statement
Our Gospel Values
Our Behaviour Policy
Our Cultural calendar
Weekly Assemblies
Weekly Liturgies
Masses
Our RE curriculum
Our RSE curriculum
PSHE curriculum - discuss and celebrate the differences between people such as differences of faith, ethnicity, disability, gender and different family situations
Interfaith week (includes trips to places of worship)
Geography – researching other countries and cultures
International Week
Gardening project
Chaplaincy team supporting St Mathias Centre
Religious educational visits - Churches, Cathedral, Jewish Museum, Synagogues, Mandirs, Gurdwara.