Fundamental British Values and SMSC

In accordance with The Department for Education we aim to actively promote the Fundamental British Values in school to ensure young people leave school prepared for life in modern Britain.

Pupils are encouraged to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect and tolerance and understand that while different people may hold different views about what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, all people living in England are subject to its law.

The Key Values are:

• Democracy
• Rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual respect
• Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

At Lane End Primary School Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) development is at the heart of what we do and is a golden thread throughout our curriculum. These elements are evident in many different aspects of school life. We want our pupils at Lane End to be excellent mathematicians, skilful writers, avid readers, future artists, engineers and scientists. Equally as important, we want all our pupils to be good humans.  

What does this look like at Lane End? 

At Lane End Primary we 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 Key Values are shaped as below at Lane End.

Democracy – At Lane, we work together effectively and efficiently.  We listen to the ideas of others in order to understand and abide by democratic processes and to make things fair.

The Rule of Law – We strive to meet school expectations in everything we do through honesty and integrity. We take responsibility for our own actions.

Tolerance of those with other faiths and beliefs- At Lane End we are part of a multi-faith community where each person is respected and valued equally without regard to ability, gender, faith, disability, heritage, family make up or race.

Individual Liberty – Alongside rules and laws, we promote freedom of choice and the right to respectfully express views and beliefs. Through the provision of a safe, supportive environment and empowering education, we provide boundaries for our young pupils to make choices safely.

Mutual Respect – Respect and responsibility are key aspects that are at the heart of school life at Lane End.  We are proud to be a ‘Restorative Practice’ school where children learn that their behaviours have an effect on themselves and those of others. Children’s behaviour demonstrates their good understanding of this value in action. All members of the school community treat each other with respect and this is modelled by staff. Children can articulate why respect is important, how they show respect to others and how they feel about it for themselves.

SMSC stands for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. 

At Lane End Primary we implement each sphere of SMSC development by:

Spiritual – Exploring beliefs and experience; respecting faiths, feelings and values; enjoying learning about oneself, others and the surrounding world; using imagination and creativity; reflecting.

Moral – Recognising right and wrong; respecting the law; understanding consequences; investigate moral and ethical issues; offer reasoned views.

Social – involving pupils in acquiring an understanding of the responsibilities and rights of being members of families and communities (local, national and global) and an ability to relate to others and to work with others for the common good.

Cultural – Enabling pupils to acquire an understanding of cultural traditions and ability to appreciate and respond to a variety of aesthetic experiences. They acquire a respect for their own culture and that of others and an interest in others’ ways of doing things and curiosity about differences.

A golden thread throughout Lane End

The impact of British Values and SMSC teaching at Lane End Primary will allow our pupils to:

• Learn, Believe, Aspire and Achieve
• Be ‘Responsible’ citizens, live and breathe the values of tolerance, respect and empathy. Be a force of good in their local community.
• Be ‘Collaborative’ open minded, team players who support and encourage others.
• Be ‘Reflective’ individuals, learn from mistakes and challenge themselves.
• Be ‘Independent’, self-evaluate, make connections and become lifelong learners.
• Be ‘Thoughtful’ kind and considerate to all. Be a good human!
• Be ‘Resourceful’ and use they knowledge and skills in everyday life.

An Audience with Hilary Benn MP - November 2021

Pupils in Year 4, 5 and 6 had a virtual conversation with Hilary Benn, our local MP for Leeds central to learn more about the role of an MP.

Pupils were able to ask him many questions about what it is like to be an MP. They also wanted to know what are the Houses of Parliament like and what does an average week look like for him. Year 4 were learning all about 'Democracy' in their PSHE topic at the time so it was very exciting!

Thank you Hilary for showing and explaining to our pupils what ‘Democracy’ in British politics means and how it shapes all of our lives.

Peace Museum Visit - January 2022

Jude from the Peace Museum based in Bradford came to Lane End to speak to our Year 6 pupils. She spoke to our pupils about how people's experiences of peace - in our communities, in countries other than the UK - differ, inviting them to comment on their own experiences if they felt comfortable doing so which some did (experience of war, having to flee).

The pupils were incredibly respectful, mature, engaged and happy to discuss. Tolerance was also discussed. The children looked at slides relating to both written and pictorial propaganda and the potential impact and targeted audiences for propaganda. 

You can find out more about the Peace Museum by clicking here

A visit from our Police Community Support Officer - March 2022

In our Key Stage 2 assembly today we have a visitor come into school called Louise. Louise is a local Community Police Officer and came to speak to our pupils about her job role and how she helps support the local community.

Louise mainly spoke to our pupils about her role in upholding the rule of law but particularly when it comes to racism and how the police respond to racist incidents. 

For more information about how talking to your child about racism please click here.

Assemblies and Collective Reflection/Worship

As well as developing our pupils understanding and knowledge of Fundamental British Values and SMSC through our school vision and values, curriculum subjects such as PSHE and R.E. we often teach our pupils through collective worship and reflection such as RP check in, check out circles which each class does weekly but also through class and whole school assemblies.

Some examples of assemblies exploring key themes: