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British Values

Aim: To 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’.

This should happen in the context of a wider Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) provision through which schools should;

  • Enable students to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence;
  • Enable students to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England;
  • Encourage students to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and to understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality of the school and to society more widely;
  • Enable students to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England;
  • Further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling students to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures;
  • Encourage respect for other people; and
  • Encourage respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic processes, including respect for the basis on which the law is made and applied in England.

At Trinity  we see our community as a microcosm of British Society; of mixed ability, socioeconomic status, gender, race and those of different faiths and of no faith. We actively promote British Values through our acts of whole school collective worship, structured tutor time, our tutor structure and in our curriculum. We also ensure that our broad and balanced curricular and co-curricular design allows students to explore these values in many different contexts. For example:

Democracy

Democracy is explored in the curriculum through PSHE schemes of work and the wider context of democracy is studied in History. The school has an active ‘Student Parliament’ with students nominating their representatives. Students are also encouraged to take part in the Bristol ‘Big Vote’ to appoint student councillors. We engage in national politics by hosting Hustings for students and by having local MPs visit and speak to the school.

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws whether they are those that govern the class, the school or the country is consistently reinforced throughout the community. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibility this involves, the consequence when laws are broken and how to distinguish between right and wrong. In the same way, the school’s Rewards and Consequences policy is applied fairly and without prejudice. Excellent relationships are established with the Police and other external agencies through visits and drop down focus days.

Individual Liberty

Within our community, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment; one of our key drivers is ‘autonomy’ with curricular being designed to engineer clear progression in autonomy. Our pupils are taught to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely both in the context of school and the law of the land. We check our progress as a community through a student ‘diversity group’ which reports back to the school body, the SLT and Governors. To help safeguard against radicalisation, the school participates in a Radicalism Conference.

Mutual Respect

Our community has three Core Values:

  1. The Head - A Place of Learning:  the progress of all students is absolutely central through great teaching and engaged learning. Expert teachers deliver a broad curriculum to develop students who have a passion for learning and who find success.
  2. The Heart - A Place of Respect: Students are taught to respect and care for themselves, their community and their environment and we care for them, ensuring that all students of all abilities achieve their best because they are safe, happy and motivated. A strong emphasis is placed on belonging to the school community. Our values are extremely important to us at every level of the school.
  3. The Soul  - A Place of Engagement: Whole child learning happens in and outside of the classroom.  At Trinity Academy there is a rich offer of co-curricular opportunities including specialist music and performing arts groups and exceptional sport. Students  find their ‘spark’ and develop a confidence which will allow them to pursue any further study or employment.

 

These are displayed around the school and taught in collective gatherings. They define who we are across the entire School. Our rewards system (tutor points) are also awarded under these headings. The result is a respect and warmth between all in the community whether adult or student.

Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

Our core values takes us beyond ‘tolerance’ (see above). We seek to understand each other, embrace and celebrate our differences in a culturally rich and diverse school. The school is part of a Trust that is based on a Christian ethos but we encourage students of all faiths and none through exploring religions and philosophies in REP, through prayer rooms for different faiths and PSHE and Science curricular.