| Teacher's Blog

At the beginning of term, Sherborne House held a special celebratory British Values Week. This involved a week of dedicated lessons, within tutor groups, examining each of the five British Values in turn. In addition to this, a whole-school assembly was held to celebrate what is great about living in Britain in these modern times.

Each year group in school engaged and participated in different activities during our special week. Each year group, however, centered their activities around the five Fundamental British Values:

  • Democracy
  • The Rule of Law
  • Individual Liberty
  • Mutual Respect
  • Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs (and for those without faith).

Some of our youngest children in Pre-Reception and Reception first considered ‘The Rule of Law’ and the children discussed the ‘Golden Rules’ such as, what are they and what are they for. The children shared their ideas on new rules which would improve their classrooms. The children also considered ‘Democracy’ and have been involved in discussing what themes they would like to do for the Summer term and what they would like to change the role-play area into. The story 'Something Else' was used to enhance understanding of the meaning of mutual respect and that we are all different but all special too.

In Year 1, the children discussed the poem, ‘No Room for Napoleon’. They answered questions such as, ‘What does Napoleon do that is disrespectful?’ then they started designing their own ‘respectful’ island. They wrote about different aspects of their lives where they are respectful, and then shared these with the class. The children also discussed what individual liberty means and how they are fortunate to live in a free country - they then progressed to making posters celebrating the value of individual liberty.

A highlight of activities in Year 2 was when the children created a Year 2 poster to show all the laws they know; when they discussed the fundamental value of 'Rule of Law'. The also learned about 'Democracy' and held their own year group election with four main parties represented. They were able to follow up on a class debate and discussion and then cast their vote to elect the candidate of their choice. To develop their wider understanding of different faiths, the children created their own 'Dove of Peace' with a thoughtful and inclusive message to embrace others.

In Year 3, the children thought about how MP’s are elected and watched a video all about what parliament is. They also learnt how laws were made and that the Queen has to sign a law for it to be enforced. When learning about 'Respect', the children in Year 3 investigated the meaning of respect and shared examples of who and what should be respected. Finally, the children shared their understanding of different religions and their Places of Worship. The children have a good understanding that it is important to work collaboratively with each other regardless of people’s different faiths and beliefs.

The children in Year 4 really enjoyed themselves during the week and participated in many discussions. They worked hard on a variety of tasks such as a discussion about how the British Democratic System has been copied by countries around the world, and they have now gained an understanding that some countries are dictatorships and do not have democratic elections.

The Year 5 children particularly enjoyed debating how Sherborne House School is diverse. They discussed the different religions of the UK and how we respect those with, and without faith.

Year 6 pupils spent time discussing the articles within the UN Declaration of Human Rights, how they apply to their own lives and which ones are the most important to help ensure fair treatment and individual liberty for all people. This included discussions about a wide range of related topics, including slavery, seeking asylum and The UN Convention on the Rights of The Child.

Our British Values Week was, once again, a huge success and has helped to enhance our children’s understanding and appreciation of this wonderful free country in which we all live.

See a selection of photos from our British Values Week in the photo gallery.

Mrs P Holmes

Key Stage 2 General Subjects Teacher and PCHE Co-ordinator