Across The Curriculum
Reception:
Democracy:
In Reception, children’s ideas are valued and encouraged. During continuous provision time, children have the opportunity to decide on which area they would like to access and how they would like to engage with the resources. Talk is essential in EYFS and we dedicate a high amount of time to talk across the day. This ensures that children know just how important their ideas and opinions are to us! We encourage our Reception children to ask questions, voice their opinion and know it matters.
Rule of Law:
When our children begin their Whinfield adventure, they are made aware of the behavioural expectations within school. Staff and children create a year group charter as well as engage in numerous discussions around our core gem values. Children understand our school consequences. During our investigation into ‘Who Helps Us?’ , Children learn about the positive role models that we have in society and those who can help and protect us.
Individual Liberty:
In our Reception unit, children are encouraged to take risks and challenge themselves and their ideas. Mistakes are welcomed and valued. We spend a lot of time in the Autumn term developing children’s sense of themselves and an understanding of how amazing they are! We celebrate what makes us unique and encourage talk around similarities and differences. Our Reception unit has a warm and encouraging ethos where staff really believe in each and every child. Children learn all about their feelings and complete a feelings check in each and every day. Children are made aware of their responsibilities within school eg. Tidying away their resources and looking after their belongings. By the summer term, children are made aware of how they have a collective responsibly to take care of our environment and ultimately, our planet.
Mutual Respect and Tolerance:
In Reception, we pride ourselves on having an inclusive and tolerant ethos where views, faiths, cultures and races are valued. Children acquire a tolerance and respect for their own and other cultures. We explore some of the celebrations and festivals more familiar to our children such a Christmas and Easter. We also learnt about Harvest, Diwali, Sukkot, Shabbat and Hanukkah in our RE sessions.
We promote diversity and challenge stereotypes through stories, imagery and poems.
Year 1:
Gem Values – Kindness , Resilience, Concentration, Problem Solving Turn TakingToleranceDemocracy – votes for the school councilHalf termly Gem Certificate – pupil’s choiceNon-gender biasTolerance – other viewsAccepting differences eg. other religions
Year 2:
Gem Values – Kindness , Resilience, Concentration, Problem Solving
In Year 2 we encourage to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect and tolerance through RE lessons whilst teaching about Hinduism and Christianity including learning about Christmas and Easter in RE.
We support the English civil and criminal law by promoting the Behaviour Policy throughout the whole school. We also positively contribute to the lives of those around us by teaching all about St. Cuthbert. We respect each other every day through, again discussion and agreed goals as a class every half term.
The children also vote for each other to win the Pupil of the Week every half term which promotes the ‘children’s choice’.
Year 3:
Gem Values – Kindness, Resilience, Concentration, Problem Solving
Respect/Tolerance
All pupils treated fairly and learn to treat each other fairly
Gender equality
Understanding of other faiths and beliefs – RE – Christianity/Hinduism
Democracy and rule of law
Pupil choice awards
School council members chosen by vote
Decision making – Class choices
Financial planning – PHSCE unit to teach money sense
Year 4:
Tolerance for other people and their religions – RE – mentioned in work on a variety of Religions with a focus on Christianity. Everyone has the right to their own beliefs and to value and understand differences/diversity.
Democracy: Talking turns to give everyone a say; One vote each for electing class Counsellor; class charter for equality and individual rights
Rule of Law: Gem values – have to show them. Reminder of consequences of breaking law in world outside of school;
Mutual respect: Gem Values – Respect for the environment and the wider world -Taking responsibility for our own actions
Year 5:
In RE, we study Islam and Christianity to strengthen harmony between cultures allowing pupils to develop respect for different values as well as studying the beliefs of our local community.
In our ‘Where my food comes from?’ Topic, we explore the lives of different cultures with the opportunity to look at healthy foods and personal responsibility and the impact our choices have on others and the environment.
In our local study of Darlington, we have touched on the role of public servants as heroes, contributing positively to the community and society more widely and how the children could aspire to this role in later life.
Through our Mayan topic, we study a non-European society that provides contrasts with British history.
In our Highwayman Topic, we look at criminality, law and in SMSC the criminal age of responsibility.
Our GEM values link to taking responsibility for actions and our school community as well as encouraging collaborative working and contributing to our school ethos.
Also the election of School Council ensures that the pupils have a voice and freedom of speech. Also through our PSHE lessons we learn about the rights of the child and who our duty bearers are within school.
Current events, such as Political Elections, Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee etc. are all discussed linked with class work and assemblies.
Year 6:
Fantastic Forests and Destination Sao Paulo – map work, British Isles /capitals/customs and comparisons.
‘What’s in a name?’ and ‘Having fun in the UK!’
‘What’s changed since the Romans left?’ – Britain and Darlington’s roles in WW1/ Changing laws/children’s rights- education/ play and leisure looking at the rights of children through the ages.
Literacy – debating – a democracy – voting.
Journalistic writing – freedom of speech PHSCE – democracy – school council/general election/how voting works Britain as a multi-racial society and how we have become this.
RE – Christianity and religious festivals.
Science- Famous Scientist- how they have helped shape world health- rights of the children.
MFL- (Spanish) customs of Spain compared to UK and European flags.
Assemblies
Assemblies support the promotion of British values. Children are able to learn about democracy through voting for School Councilors, Class Choice Pupil of the Week, Articles from the Rights Respecting Agenda, GEMS, House Teams etc. They are also encouraged to have a voice.
Every week the DHT prepares an assembly where the children take part in a weekly British Birthday Challenge. This involves the children finding out the name of a successful British person who’s Birthday is/would have been celebrated that week. The children are given clues to the special person then they research the name at home. Children are awarded for the correct answer in the following assembly where the special person and their achievements are discussed. The aims of the assemblies are:
- To believe in yourself and have aspirations.
- To understand how you can contribute to your community.
- To celebrate British achievement.
- To know the importance of hard work.
- To know individuals can create change for the better.
- To respect those who have done great things.
- To have courage when you believe in something.
- To have acceptance for everyone.
British Birthdays cover a diverse set of people, some from history, some living. A few examples to date are Mo Farah, Queen Elizabeth II, Steven Hawking, The Beatles, Ralph Fiennes, Samuel Pepys, Jessica Ennis, Isaac Newton, Eric Morcambe.
Often families work together to solve the challenge and there is healthy competition between children and staff.
