BEAMINSTER ST MARY’S ACADEMY BRITISH VALUES

At St. Mary’s Academy, we actively promote British Values, as defined under the Ofsted guidance 2014, through our school vision, ethos, agreed rules, curriculum and teaching:

‘Ensure that they and the school promote tolerance of and respect for people of all faiths (or those of no faith), cultures and lifestyles; and support and help, through their words, actions and influence within the school and more widely in the community, to prepare children and young people positively for life in modern Britain’.

The government define these values as

•   Democracy

•   Rule of law

•   Individual liberty

•   Mutual respect

•   Tolerance of those of different faiths

At St. Mary’s Academy, we value the diverse ethnic backgrounds of all pupils and families and undertake a variety of events and lessons to celebrate these. We have found this approach to be enriching for all parties as it teaches tolerance and respect for the differences in our community and the wider world. Underpinning all of this, we teach a range of curriculum topics which develop British values. We actively challenge children, staff or parents expressing opinions contrary to fundamental British Values, including ‘extremist’ views.