Values Curriculum & DIVERSITY Days at Selby High School

At Selby High School we really value the importance of equipping our students with the knowledge, skills & attributes to function as a successful citizen in a modern day World. With this in mind, Diversity Days have been introduced to supplement our Values Curriculum provision. The Values Curriculum addresses 5 key themes which we believe are key to the personal development of our students:

• Identity, Equality & Diversity: Understanding diversity, showing tolerance and preventing bullying
• RSE: Relationships and Sex Education
• Future Aspirations: Promoting decision-making, exploring skills and qualities, and self-management
• Active Citizenship: Being a responsible citizen, community values and respecting human rights
• Health and Well-being: Understanding the importance of good physical, mental, social & emotional well-being

For more details on each of these themes, please refer to our Values Curriculum Map.

The aim of Diversity Days are to:

• Build on our current Values Curriculum provision in school;
• Continue to improve the personal development of students;
• Streamline a lot of our existing provision to reduce the impact on lessons;
• Enable students to see that the Values Curriculum permeates through the entire school curriculum and is not just limited to assemblies or Life Development lessons.

What will Diversity Days look like?

There will be 3 Diversity Days throughout the school year and this will involve the whole school following a collapsed timetable for the day – a ‘stop the clock’ day. Students in each year group will follow a programme of alternative themed lessons to address specific elements of our values curriculum in greater depth. The table below shows our Diversity Days for 2023:

THE IMPORTANCE OF BRITISH VALUES WITHIN THE CURRICULUM

As part of the Values Curriculum, and alongside our responsibility to promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of students at the school, Selby High School actively promotes British values.
Through our values, systems and curriculum we promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect for and tolerance of those different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith.

We aim to ensure that our students become fully prepared for life in modern Britain and leave school as well-rounded members of society who treat others with respect and tolerance, regardless of background and belief.

As part of our approach to British Values we take very seriously our public sector equality duty (s.149 of the Equality Act 2010) which requires us to have due regard of the need to:

• eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under that Act;
• advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it; and
• foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

How are British Values at the heart of what we do?

The British Values we explore are:

• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

As a school we aim to develop and nurture these by:

• Delivering a vibrant and engaging assembly programme with British Values, diversity and an ethical approach at its heart.
• Delivering a well-structured Values Curriculum which addresses all of the requirements of the programmes of study (looking at Democracy, Freedom, the rule of law, Human Rights and responsibilities). We ensure that principles are actively promoted which will:
  • 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 understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality in which the school is situated and to society more widely
  • enable students to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England
  • encourage 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, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010; 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
• provide a varied Life Development programme at every Key Stage.
• provide an effective and well-managed range of student leadership roles and School Councils, enabling students to actively participate in the democratic process.
• offer a broad and balanced curriculum which addresses many of these core values
  across a range of subject areas.
• provide a clearly communicated and consistently applied Positive Behaviour for Learning policy so that students understand what is expected of them.
• encourage charity work organised by the School Council, and within year groups offer a wide range of educational visits.
• provide regular advice on online safety to all students, staff and parents at Selby High School.

British Values and the Prevent Duty

At Selby High School, we strongly believe that a carefully structured approach to delivering British Values, supported by a culture that encourages students to ask questions and be engaged in quality discussion of the issues, is an important part of the school’s approach to the Prevent duty. Our approach to teaching British Values, alongside our Tolerance Pledge, encourages all stakeholders in the school to challenge extremism, prejudice and intolerance.