Fundamental British Values at Finlay Community School 
At Finlay Community School, British Values are promoted and celebrated in so much of what we do, not least during our school assemblies, Religious Education and through the Jigsaw programme.
British Values are an integral part to our ethos and vision. As well as actively promoting British Values, the opposite also applies: we would actively challenge pupils, staff or parents expressing opinions contrary to fundamental British values, including ‘extremist’ views.

Proud to be part of Britain – Developing this through our curriculum: 

As a school, we value and celebrate the diverse heritages of everybody who belong to our school. Alongside this, we value and celebrate being part of Britain. In general terms, this means that we celebrate traditions, such as customs over the course of the year; for example, Harvest festival during the Autumn Term. Furthermore, children learn about being a part of Britain from different perspectives:

Jigsaw/ PSHE/ RSE/ SMSC:
Jigsaw is a whole school approach designed to meet the statutory requirements of the relationships, sex and health education framework. Jigsaw is a unique, spiral, progressive and effective scheme of work, aiming to prepare children/young people for life, helping them really know and value who they are and understand how they relate to other people in this ever-changing world.
 
Geography: 
•    In Year 1, the pupils learn about their surrounding and immediate local area, focussing on where they live and the physical and human features that can be found here. 
•    In Year 2, pupils extend their understanding, and focus on the world, identifying the continents and 5 major oceans. The children look at where Britain fits into the wider world. 
•    In Year 3, the children explore natural disasters that have happened both in Britain, and our surrounding countries.
•    In Year 4, the children explore rivers and oceans, as well as studying Gloucester docks, and the history of the canal. 
•    In Year 5 and 6, the pupils learn more about the wider world and topical issues, including climate change, global warming, melting ice caps and deforestation, and the impact that this has on Britain too. 

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History: 
•    In History, the children learn about important events that have shaped our country, including: 
-    Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole, and their developments in medicine
-    The Victorians 
-    The Romans and Glevum – Gloucester as a Roman town 
-    World War 2 and the impact that the war had on Britain today. 

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Religious Education: 
•    As part of our Religious Education Curriculum, the children are exposed to six big questions across the year, which help develop their understanding of a range of religions, including: Christianity, Atheism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism and Judaism. The children answer questions including: 
-    Where do we belong? 
-    What does it mean to be a Muslim in Britain today? 
-    Who is Jewish and how do they live? 
-    How should we care for the world, and others, and why does it matter? 
-    What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today? 
-    Christians and how to live: What would Jesus do? 

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Proud to part of a democratic community 
Children, parents and staff have many opportunities for their voices to be heard at Finlay Community School. Democracy is central to how we operate. An obvious example is our School Council. The election of the School Council members reflects our British electoral system and demonstrates democracy in action: candidates make speeches, pupils consider characteristics important for an elected representative, pupils vote in secret etc. The School Council meets regularly to discuss issues raised by the different classes. The council is able to genuinely effect change within the school; in the past, the School Council has purchased play equipment for the school and been actively involved in organising fundraising events to raise money for many worthwhile charities. 
Another example of when the children develop their understanding of the democracy system is when the children in Year 5 learn about Ancient Greece, and compare and contrast democracy during Ancient Greece compared to modern day. 
Pupils are always listened to by adults and are taught to listen carefully and with concern to each other, respecting the right of every individual to have their opinions and voices heard. We encourage pupils to take ownership of not only their school but also of their own learning and progress. This encourages a heightened sense of both personal and social responsibility and is demonstrated on a daily basis by our pupils. 

Proud of rules and laws
The importance of rules and laws, whether they be those that govern our school or our country, are referred to and reinforced often, such as in assemblies and when reflecting on behaviour choices. At the start of the school year, each class discusses our traffic light system, a set of principles that are clearly understood by all and seen to be necessary to ensure that every class member is able to learn in a safe and ordered environment.

Pupils are taught the value and understand: the reasons behind laws in that they govern and protect us; the responsibilities that this involves, and the consequences when laws are broken. These values are reinforced in different ways:
•    Visits from authorities such as the local PCSO and fire service.
•    Working alongside the PCSOs for projects such as Junior Wardens and Mini Coppers 
•    During Religious Education, when rules for particular faiths are thought about.
•    During other school subjects, where there is respect and appreciation for different rules – for example, in PE

Proud to promote 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. Our pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are taught how to exercise these safely, such as in our e-safety and Jigsaw lessons.

Proud of our mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
We aim to develop an understanding in every pupil of respect for a wide range of religious values, languages and cultural traditions and different ways of life. 
Our pupils know and understand that it is expected and imperative that respect is shown to everyone, whatever differences we may have.
Children learn that their behaviour choices have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community should treat each other with respect. The curriculum is used to maximum effect to enhance pupil’s understanding and respect for different faiths and beliefs:
•    Through Religious Education, PSHE/Jigsaw Curriculum and other lessons where we might develop awareness and appreciation of other cultures
•    Through our Cultural Capital Passports 

Defining spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC) 

In addition to the promotion of British Values, the school also seeks to promote SMSC as we believe that it is a fundamental part of preparing all pupils to take their place in modern Britain.

The spiritual development of pupils is shown by their:
•    ability to be reflective about their own beliefs, religious or otherwise, that inform their perspective on life and their interest in and respect for different people’s faiths, feelings and values
•    sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them
•    use of imagination and creativity in their learning
•    willingness to reflect on their experiences
 
The moral development of pupils is shown by their:
•    ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong, readily apply this understanding in their own lives and, in so doing, respect the civil and criminal law of England
•    understanding of the consequences of their behaviour and actions
•    interest in investigating and offering reasoned views about moral and ethical issues, and being able to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues
 

The social development of pupils is shown by their:
•    use of a range of social skills in different contexts, including working and socialising with pupils from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds
•    willingness to participate in a variety of communities and social settings, including by volunteering, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively
•    acceptance and engagement with 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 pupils develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain

The cultural development of pupils is shown by their:
•    understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and that of others
•    understanding and appreciation of the range of different cultures within school and further afield as an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain
•    knowledge of Britain's democratic parliamentary system and its central role in shaping our history and values, and in continuing to develop Britain
•    willingness to participate in and respond positively to artistic, sporting and cultural opportunities
•    interest in exploring, improving understanding of and showing respect for different faiths and cultural diversity, and the extent to which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity, as shown by their tolerance and attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities
 
We are proud to promote fundamental British Values