British Values
At Ditton Nursery School the fundamental British values of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance are implicitly embedded in our curriculum and nursery life.
Democracy: making decisions together
As part of the focus on self-confidence and self-awareness as cited in Personal, Social and Emotional Development:
* Staff encourage children to see their role in the bigger picture, encouraging children to know their views count, value each other’s views and values and talk about their feelings, for example when they do or do not need help. When appropriate staff demonstrate democracy in action, for example, children sharing views on what the theme of their role play area could be with a show of hands.
* Staff support the decisions that children make (e.g. at planning time) and provide activities that involve turn-taking, sharing and collaboration (during both child initiated and adult led activities). Children are given opportunities to develop enquiring minds in an atmosphere where questions are valued.
Rule of law: understanding rules matter
As cited in Personal Social and Emotional development
As part of the focus on managing feelings and behaviour:
* Staff ensure that children understand their own and others’ behaviour and its consequences, and learn to distinguish right from wrong. This is in outlined in the Achieving Positive Behaviour policy
* Staff can collaborate with children to create the rules and the codes of behaviour, for example, to agree the rules about tidying up and ensure that all children understand rules apply to everyone.
Individual liberty: freedom for all
As part of the focus on self-confidence & self-awareness and people & communities as cited in Personal Social and Emotional development and Understanding the World:
* Children should develop a positive sense of themselves. Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and increase their confidence in their own abilities, for example through allowing children to manage and take risks within the outdoor area, to investigate their own environment, to plan their own session, to talk about their experiences and learning (as part of their ongoing initiated play as well as at recall time).
* Staff should encourage a range of experiences that allow children to explore the language of feelings and responsibility, reflect on their differences and understand we are free to have different opinions, for example in a small group discuss what they feel about transferring into Reception Class.
Mutual respect and tolerance: treat others as you want to be treated
As part of the focus on people & communities, managing feelings & behaviour and making relationships as cited in Personal Social and Emotional development and Understanding the World: Aspiring Foundations Federated Nursery Schools British Values
* Senior staff and the wider staff team create an ethos of inclusivity and tolerance where views, faiths, cultures and races are valued and children are engaged with the wider community (see community cohesion policy)
* Children acquire a tolerance and appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures; learn about similarities and differences between themselves and others and among families, faiths, communities, cultures and traditions and share and discuss practices, celebrations and experiences.
* Staff encourage and explain the importance of tolerant behaviours such as sharing and respecting other’s opinions.
* Staff promote diverse attitudes and challenge stereotypes, for example, sharing stories that reflect and value the diversity of children’s experiences and providing resources and activities that challenge gender, cultural and racial stereotyping.