British Values

Promoting Fundamental British Values in the Early Years

We believe that British values are important in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) for several reasons:

1. Foundation for Future Learning: Instilling British values early on helps children understand their rights and responsibilities in a diverse society, setting the groundwork for their future learning and social interactions.

2. Promoting Tolerance and Respect: Teaching values such as respect, tolerance, and democracy encourages children to appreciate diversity, fostering a sense of community and acceptance among peers.

3. Developing Personal and Social Skills: Integrating British values helps children develop essential personal and social skills, enabling them to navigate relationships and understand societal norms.

4. Encouraging Critical Thinking: Exposure to values such as rule of law and individual liberty promotes critical thinking, helping children learn to make informed choices and understand the consequences of their actions.

5. Supporting Well-being and Safety: Understanding values related to democracy and respect contributes to a safe and nurturing environment, where children feel valued and secure.

Overall, embedding British values in the EYFS curriculum helps create well-rounded individuals who can contribute positively to society.

Four guiding principles that shape our practice in the Early years are:

• Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident, and self-assured.
• Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
• Children do well when they have support and guidance from adults who understand their interests and needs. This helps them grow and learn slowly over time. Children benefit from a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers.
• Importance of learning and development. Children develop and learn at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children, including children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Democracy - making decisions together

In the Early Years, Democracy is where we make decisions together. Like many of the other British values, it’s also about making sure that everyone has equal rights and is treated equally. Each child’s views matter, and it’s important they are given the opportunity to share and collaborate to make decisions together.

How do we promote this in the Early Years?

• Deciding together what the class charter should be at the start of the year.
• Exploring what is rewarded by house points in the child's house jar.
• Children have input into planning ideas/topics
• Children can choose resources for our learning environments and they have choices throughout the year about the adaptations to our home corners
• Turn taking games, circle times, talking table activities.
• Free choice Fridays! - our child led approach to a child's busy learning. 

Rule of law – understanding rules matter

The Rule of law is about understanding that rules matter in our society and are to be followed for a reason. For children, it’s about helping them understand that actions have consequences and understanding the difference between right and wrong.

How do we promote this in the Early Years?

• Expectations shared with the children; our REACH values, to Aspire, Achieve, Thrive and to understand our Steps to Success.
• Following class and school charters.
• All adults model correct behaviour and language, everyone expected to follow the rules and treat each other fairly.
• Rewards and consequences consistently followed. Picture cues for behaviour strategies/ policy.
• Staff follow the behaviour policy. Picture cues for behaviour strategies/ policy to support children.
• Visual displays in each classroom to prompt good behaviour and how to express feelings.
• Calm areas to support children's understanding of the management of their emotions.
• Sharing tidying up at the end of the sessions. Visual numeral displays in class to demonstrate how many children are allowed at an activity at a time. Turn taking games planned in across the year in various areas of the curriculum. 
• OPAL play team and lunch time experiences. 

Individual liberty – freedom for all

Individual Liberty focuses on freedom for everyone. The main point developmentally is to give children a positive sense of themselves. It's important to help children boost their self-confidence and self-awareness. This can be done by giving them the right language and context to understand their emotions.

How do we promote this in the Early Years?

• Children can choose certain activities as part of a topic.
• Children have time to review their learning and talk about what they have done each day. ‘Show And Tell’ sessions with things from home on Friday's.
• REACH award shared with the class and families via class presentations and newsletters.
• Adaptive teaching so each child is challenged at their level.

• Covering all ‘Characteristics of Learning’ in planning in order to provide activities that suit children’s learning styles.

• Transition days before children start Nursery and Reception.

• Support plans to support individual children.

• Outside agencies involved in supporting individual children.

• Parent workshops to give parents ideas on how to support their children at home. Challenge stereotypes through resources e.g. a female mechanic, a male nurse etc.

Mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs – treat others as you want to be treated.

Create a welcoming environment that embraces all beliefs, cultures, races, and perspectives, while also recognising and celebrating our unique qualities.

How do we promote this in the Early Years?

• Translation tool on our parental engagement app, Seesaw; working together.
• Dual language reading opportunities
• Topic of ‘Celebrations’ from different faiths in Autumn term in Reception and Nursery. Mind map at the start of the topic and discussion about how different people can believe in different things and celebrate things in different ways.
• Topic of ‘Happy to be me’ and 'Let's Play' across EYFS.
• Family Walls in Nursery and Reception (photos of our families).
• Positive ethos on differences and mutual respect for all; embedded by our whole school values REACH and our Steps to Success.
• Topic of 'Come Fly with me Asia' and  ‘Ticket to Ride’; learning about other countries, continents and people’s cultures and making connections with where we live.
• Talking partners with photos of different families, celebrations, festivals.
• Resources and books covering a variety of faiths e.g. a Diwali jigsaw, Eid dolls etc.
• Books and small world resources that include a variety of different ethnic backgrounds. 
• Circle games – respecting other’s opinions and taking turns to talk.

Evidence in curriculum planning and daily routines