Aspire strongly believes in promoting to our students what it means to be a good global citizen. Part of this is demonstrating how we can positively impact on the many different communities we belong to.
Promoting British Values
Aspire 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. Aspire is dedicated to preparing students for their adult life beyond the formal examined curriculum and ensuring that it promotes and reinforces British values to all its students.
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.
The five British Values are:
Aspire uses strategies within the National Curriculum and beyond to secure such outcomes for students. The examples that follow show some of the many ways Aspire seeks to embed British values.
British Values are taught within the core curriculum, as part of various units of work. Themes of democracy and fairness are explored, for example, in the History curriculum. Changes to British culture are explored within texts in the English Curriculum. This ensures that British values feature prominently in all areas of learning.
The PSHE curriculum has specific lessons and units focused both on British Values as a whole and on individual topics within that, such as units around tolerance and diversity when exploring different communities. Themes are also explored in drop down days and WISK (What I Should Know) sessions. These are often linked to emerging issues within the Academy. For example, students completed enterprise tasks around ‘The Rule of Law’ in Summer 2023. There is a similar activity around ‘The Rights of Individuals’ planned for Summer 2024.
Aspire strives endlessly to ensure that its students leave with the strongest foundation of values upon which to build a successful life and a successful contribution to our Society.
Our CAP award heavily promotes the values of being reliable, going the extra mile, supporting and helping those in need and impacting positively on all our communities. We believe these are not just values attributed to being a good global citizen, but forms part of what it means to be British.
This is just one part of ‘Britishness’ promoted by us, with British values such as mutual respect, democracy, tolerance, liberty and equality also being addressed throughout a student’s time here. In particular, our pastoral support, built around restorative practice, fresh starts, and giving students a voice all underpin these values.
Aspire models, and expects, our students to demonstrate a mutual respect for others, irrespective of what it is that makes us different. For example, students are in mixed tutor groups and in different groupings for vocations. Some of these groups are mixed for enrichment activities and the Academy encourages inter-school competitions with other providers in the Trust. These activities build collaboration, understanding and tolerance.
We hold regular student council meetings, where decisions made directly impact on the school community. Students, and parents, are given regular surveys to identify their views.
We promote equality by providing all of our students with the best possible educational package, to suit their needs, increasing their life chances and opportunities for the future. This is supported by enrichment opportunities, developing their experiences, resilience and endurance skills.
Further to this, Aspire promotes British values through observing and learning from annual key events such as Armistice Day, Holocaust Memorial Day and Bonfire night. Time-bound activities, such as those around the King’s Coronation, have also been held to celebrate unique aspects of British culture.
Aspire strongly believes ‘Being British’ and ‘British Values’ are important in making a positive difference to society and to all the communities we touch – locally, nationally and internationally; family, school, friends, colleagues and peers.
The actions we have taken to prevent radicalisation and promote British Values:
The Academy recognises that many of its cohort are vulnerable to exploitation and grooming, including by radicalist groups. To combat this, we offer the following:
