Fundamental British Values
Springfield provides rich and robust and rigorously planned opportunities for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of their pupils.
Springfield provides rich and robust and rigorously planned opportunities for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of their pupils.
An integral part of Springfield’s approach to SMSC is the active promotion of ‘fundamental British values’. The Department for Education (DfE) defines these values as:
At Springfield, we ensure that the fundamental British Values are introduced, discussed and lived out through the ethos and work of the school. We develop our children’s understanding of these concepts across a wide range of curriculum subjects. In particular, RE, PSHE and daily whole-school assemblies provide opportunities to develop and deepen understanding of these values. We encourage our children to: use their voices proudly and equally; follow the school expectations fairly for the benefit of all; celebrate their uniqueness and value everyone’s individuality and to show respect towards themselves and everyone in our school, local and wider community. We nurture our children on their journey so they can grow into respectful, caring, democratic, responsible and tolerant adults who make a positive difference to British Society and the wider world.
Springfield is a community school. We actively encourage admissions from all those entitled to education under British law regardless of faith, ethnicity, disability, gender, sexuality, political or financial status. Our curriculum has been carefully designed to serve and reflect our diverse community where everyone belongs and is included. Our children and families speak many languages and have roots and connections with many different parts of the world. A significant number of our children have two places they call home. Through our curriculum, we embrace what unites us: that we all belong to Britain and Britain belongs to all of us. We believe our children deserve to feel a strong sense of connection to and pride in their home. Hand in hand with this, we celebrate our diversity and look beyond our borders to celebrate the different heritages and cultures which make our community so special and to broaden our children’s horizons further so they leave us knowing that there is much we share, and though we are different, we are equal.
As a Rights Respecting school, we value our children’s rights, as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This ethos is woven through our curriculum, and we seek opportunities across different subjects to explore what it means to be caring, thoughtful and respectful citizens. Our goal is that a child with Springfield roots, goes out into the world both with a sense of their rights and their responsibilities towards their community and the planet. We know it is important that our children understand the challenges that shape the modern world, and the power they have to make positive change, be it environmental, political or social.
All members of our school community are asked/ expected/ encouraged to respect and support our values. The school culture is one rooted firmly in mutual respect, compassion and understanding for those around us. Together, we continue to grow as a community, to demonstrate high levels of respect for each other and to stand up against injustice.
Democracy |
| Each class democratically votes for two members to represent their year group on the School Council. These council meetings are facilitated by an experienced teacher. The Councillors are responsible for sharing pupils’ views and driving initiatives, which are linked to improving the school and its community. The group provides feedback to the Headteacher after every meeting and meets regularly with her too. Older pupils are supported to make links with locally elected representatives to gain a deeper understanding of how representation and democracy functions in the UK. They also make visits to local courts to better understand the British judicial system. |
The Rule Of Law |
| The school has a clearly defined behaviour policy. We follow 5 learning and behaviour standards (Voice, Everyone, Respect, Safe, Effort) which are drawn from our Commitments and UNCRC Rights Respecting Articles. This sets clear boundaries and expectations and engages parents when necessary to further reinforce the school’s rules. Behaviour is monitored closely. As a result, incidents of poor behaviour and racial incidents are incredibly rare and dealt with and reflected upon robustly, in partnership with parents and carers. Our curriculum includes specific teaching points about British laws, including those related to behaviours both online and offline, and those related to coercion and control. In teaching children about these laws, we ensure that they have a secure understanding of the protections British law affords them, and the responsibilities they have within it. |
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, we provide boundaries for our pupils to exercise choice safely; for example: choices about how they can improve or deepen their learning at school or at home and actively making decisions about their writing, musical compositions and artistic designs. As a Rights Respecting Gold school, our children are taught about their rights enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child. They are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are taught how to exercise these safely. |
Mutual Respect |
| Our Springfield Community Commitments are the promises that we as school pledge to keep and ask our children and community to uphold and value too. Our school ethos is underpinned by our respect for one another. Every member of our school community – our children, our families and our staff – are highly valued and respected. We celebrate our differences and ensure that everyone is treated equally. The curriculum also embodies values of mutual respect, particularly in PSHE where we teach units such as Relationships and Celebrating Differences and in RE where we learn about a range of different religions and other belief systems. Our partnership working across both our federation of schools and with Hackney Education actively promotes attitudes of equality and fairness through competitive sports and tournaments. |
Tolerance Of Those With Differing Faiths And Beliefs |
| Our Religious Education curriculum follows the Hackney Agreed Syllabus, which provides a broad, varied education on a range of faiths, religions, belief systems and cultures. This is supported by a varied collective worship plan for our daily assemblies. Within these, our pupils are introduced to faiths such as Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism and Islam. In addition to this, belief systems such as Humanism are explored, as well as what it means to be atheist or agnostic. Our Geography curriculum has been designed so that our children learn their place in their locality and within the wider world. Throughout all phases, children are taught about cultures and communities in different countries and continents and to understand both similarities and differences in ways of life around the world. In our MFL curriculum, our children learn Spanish. An important component of our rich MFL curriculum is the development of an understanding and appreciation of Hispanic culture across the globe. |
Coming together as a Community – Values through Assemblies
Daily assemblies are used to both explore and support the school’s values. By teaching the children how to manage and understand emotions they will be motivated and equipped to:
- Understand and 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
- Recognise and stand up for their rights and the rights of others
- Deal with and resolve conflict respectfully and fairly
- Be effective and successful learners
- Make and sustain friendships
- Solve problems with others by themselves
- Manage strong feelings such as frustration, anger or anxiety
- 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