SMSC & British Values

Although not an exhaustive list, The Albion Academy promotes the British Values of: 

• Democracy 
• The Rule of Law 
• Individual Liberty 
• Mutual Respect 
• Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs 

These values support the national Prevent Strategy, put before Parliament in 2011 by the Home Secretary as a response to radicalisation of British citizens. Consequently, all schools must provide a clear statement of British values and outline how they are promoted. 

• The Albion Academy’s values are Respect, Ambition and Resilience. Students are frequently taught about the importance of these values for success in the Academy and beyond as well as their key place within British Values. 
• Students follow a Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education curriculum which is named ‘Pastoral Curriculum’ on a fortnightly basis which. The Pastoral Curriculum promotes learning which revolves around British Values.  
• Our Assembly Programme delivers key messages around British Values and is always linked to our own academy values. 
• British Values are promoted across the curriculum in both Key Stage 3 and 4. Students can learn about different people’s faiths, feelings and values through our RE lessons at Key Stage 3, and have the option to study RE and/or Citizenship at Key Stage 4 as part of their Guided Choices. 
• There are opportunities for students to participate in activities such as Student Leadership Team elections, Student Council debates and voting on whole school initiatives with the use of pupil voice to understand the true notion of democracy.  
• Our behaviour policy underpins mutual respect for all and tolerance for everyone at the academy.

Our students are introduced to the concept of “democracy” and all participate in Student Council elections (where representatives are elected by way of a democratic process and engage in a wide range of discussions concerning issues that directly affect them. Student voice is at the heart of our values and is of utmost importance, and members of the Student Leadership team are encouraged to discuss key issues that are likely to affect their peers, as well as bringing their own proposals to staff for consideration. Students who are appointed to leadership roles are taught how to effectively represent their classmates and the importance of considering everybody’s viewpoint when making an informed decision and reaching a common consensus. 

The concept of democracy is explored within the curriculum, particularly in PSHE, Citizenship, RE, History and English. Students are encouraged to become politically aware from a young age and participate in debates concerning age-appropriate issues, developing arguments for and against carefully chosen topics. Students are regularly exposed to issues related to fairness, equality and liberty and explore how democracy has been developed throughout history and how it is a fundamental part of the world we live in today. 

The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced at The Albion Academy 

The Albion Academy Etiquettes provide a clear framework for a harmonious school community., The laws of the land, particularly the Academy’s ‘Fair Rules’, to deal with attendance, punctuality and behaviour are promoted through tutor time, assemblies, the aspire programme and curriculum. In the Pastoral Curriculum, students are taught the values and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Students are taught about the British legal system (Crime and Consequences), which covers a broad range of topics regarding crime, justice and reformation.

Students are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to recognise when these are being violated, and what to do/who to approach if they are concerned about this. 

Students are supported to make informed choices by providing guidance on a range of key topics, such as online safety, bullying, child sexual exploitation, physical and emotional abuse, radicalisation and extremism – all of which are built into the pastoral curriculum in an age-appropriate and sensitive manner. These issues are also explored in assemblies, interactive workshops and during Pastoral Curriculum lessons. 

All our students are valued for their individual talents and contributions and are encouraged to pursue their specific areas of interest through a variety of enrichment, sporting and leadership activities. We encourage pupils to see themselves as unique individuals, able to make a unique contribution to society, whilst also emphasising the importance of teamwork in achieving their goals.

Mutual respect is in evidence throughout the curriculum. All students are given the opportunity to express their views in lessons within the context of an environment within which these will be valued, even when there is disagreement; this is evidenced through lesson observations. Our etiquettes ensure that mutual respect, tolerance are promoted throughout the Academy. 

Mutual respect is embraced throughout the curriculum from the concept of ‘fair play’ in PE and exploration of community, cohesion, mutual respect and tolerance in the Pastoral Curriculum. 

This is achieved through equipping students with the ability to understand their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity within the school community and externally. 

Students are actively encouraged to share their faith and beliefs within the school. The academy’s Religious Studies curriculum provides a broad and balanced education on a range of faiths, religions and cultures. 

As part of the Pastoral curriculum, students at The Albion Academy are taught about the influence of radicalisation in relation to the Government’s counter terrorism strategy. The Prevent Team also work with staff and students to reduce the risk of vulnerable individuals being drawn into extremism or terrorism.

We have defined Radicalisation as, “a process by which an individual or group comes to adopt increasingly extreme political, social, or religious ideals and aspirations that (1) reject or undermine the status quo or (2) reject and / or undermine contemporary ideas and expressions of freedom of choice.” We believe it is when someone feels marginalised or under-valued that there is a greater opportunity for such extremism to be fostered. 

We aim to prevent the radicalisation of our students / staff by: 

• Celebrating diversity through our curricular and extra-curricular content 
• Providing menu options to meet specific dietary requirements such as halal food 
• Authorising absence appropriately for religious observance such as Eid celebrations 
• Providing opportunities / facilities for personal prayer and reflection 
• Providing a Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship education programme that celebrates diversity, challenges stereotypes and addresses issues such as discrimination and prejudice in society as a whole 
• Having a school uniform which can be adapted appropriately to meet the requirements of religious dress codes such as headscarves and P.E. kit (trousers are available for girls) 
• Ensuring that student rewards programmes offer rewards that are appropriate to those of all faiths and none 
• Ensuring the safer recruitment of our staff and ensure visitors are appropriately vetted and supervised whilst on site 
• Responding rapidly, rigorously and appropriately to any reported incidents of a racist or discriminatory nature, adhering to Local Authority reporting protocols, as required