British Values
Hummersknott Academy is committed to serving its community. It recognises the multi-cultural, multi faith and ever-changing nature of the United Kingdom. It also understands the vital role it has in ensuring that groups or individuals within the school are not subjected to intimidation or radicalisation by those wishing to unduly, or illegally, influence them.
It follows equal opportunities guidance which guarantees that there will be no discrimination against any individual or group, regardless of faith, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, political or financial status, or similar. Hummersknott Academy is dedicated to preparing pupils for their adult life beyond the formal examined curriculum and ensuring that it promotes and reinforces British values to all its pupils.
The Government emphasises that schools are required to ensure that key ‘British Values’ are taught in all UK schools. The government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy.
We uphold and promote the following British Values:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
The examples that follow show some of the many ways Hummersknott Academy seeks to embed British values
Democracy
The principle of democracy is consistently being reinforced in our school community, with democratic processes being used for important decisions within the school community, for instance, our form mentor council representatives. The students meet on a half termly basis to discuss issued raised within out related to our school and the local area. Pupil questionnaires, surveys and interviews are also conducted regularly as part of our QA process.
The principle of democracy is embedded in the curriculum as well as in form mentor time, assemblies and taught lessons in Life Skills. Examples include the study of different ways to govern, a whole-school mock election process that coincided with the 2024 General Election and provide students the opportunity to pose questions to local representatives from political parties as part of a Life Skills day.
The Rule of Law
The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced in our school community. Students are taught the rules and expectations of the school and these are constantly reinforced through assemblies and our climate for learning.
The rule of law is also embedded in the curriculum and the extended curriculum. Students are taught the value and the reasons behind laws that govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Examples include the study of the why laws are needed in society, people’s rights if arrested and the role of the police force within society.
Individual Liberty
At Hummersknott, students are actively encouraged to make independent choices, with the knowledge that they are in a safe, secure and supportive environment. Staff at Hummersknott Academy work hard to provide a positive ethos; they educate and provide boundaries for pupils to make informed choices, through a safe environment and an empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to set personal targets and choose tasks in class which challenge them, giving them more freedom to determine their own success. We offer a range of extra-curricular activities which pupils have the right to choose from, based on their interests. Students are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised on how to exercise these safely, for example through e-safety.
Hummersknott Academy also reinforces the value of individual liberty explicitly within the curriculum and extended curriculum. On Holocaust Memorial Day, we take a selected of students to Durham Cathedral to participate in workshops and Holocaust survivor testimony. As part of a Year 9 Life Skills day we work with the Holocaust Education Trust to afford students to the opportunity to listen to a Holocaust survivor share their testimony and pose to questions.
Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those of different Faiths and Beliefs
Respect and tolerance are a fundamental part of Hummersknott Academy’s philosophy and are at the core of our school life. Students learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community treat each other with respect and this is reiterated through our teaching and learning environments. Mutual respect and tolerance is embraced throughout the curriculum by providing the opportunity for pupils to express their views in a safe environment.
We equip pupils with the ability to understand their place in a culturally diverse society by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity through a culturally rich and varied curriculum. Examples include, the Religious Studies curriculum, which is compulsory for all pupils up to the end of KS4, provides a broad and balanced education on a range of faiths, religions and cultures. Students visit the local church and as part of the GCSE course visit a mosque in South Shields.
