Baytul Ilm Secondary School is committed to serving its community and surrounding areas. It recognises the multi-cultural, multi faith and ever-changing nature of the United Kingdom, and therefore those it serves. 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.
The school, as an Independent Faith School, accepts admissions from all those entitled to an education under British law, including pupils of all faiths or none. It follows the policies outlined by its Trustees regarding equal opportunities, which guarantee that there will be no discrimination against any individual or group, regardless of faith, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, political or financial status, or similar. It seeks to serve all.
The DfE have recently reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to actively promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”
These values are taught explicitly through Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHEE), Religious Education (RE) and Islamic Studies. We also teach British Values through planning and delivering a broad and balanced curriculum.
Our school takes numerous opportunities to actively promote British Values through collective worship and whole school systems and structures such as electing and running our School Council. We also actively promote British values through ensuring that our curriculum planning and delivery includes real opportunities for exploring these values.
The school does, though a wide range of activities, secure such standards and uses strategies within the National Curriculum and beyond to secure such outcomes for pupils. The list below outlines samples of when and where such British Values are shared. The list is not exhaustive, and represents only some of what we do.
Democracy:
Democracy is an important value at our school. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council. The elections of members of the Council are based on pupil votes. Pupils organise an annual whole school mock election.
The Rule of Law:
The importance of laws and rules, whether they are those that govern the class, the school or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days. Our system for behaviour is aligned to an agreed set of codes and if pupils are sanctioned this is always set against the agreed school behaviour code.
Pupils are asked to identify which aspect of the code they have broken to ensure that this connection is made and understood. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the police, fire service etc. are regular parts of our calendar and help reinforce this message.
To encourage and promote good behaviour, attitude and work, we have devised a reward system which is consistently followed throughout the school.
We are committed to praising pupils’ efforts. We endeavour to praise the pupils informally, individually, during group work, in front of the whole class and the whole school. Pupils are rewarded not only for achievement in curriculum areas, but for good behaviour and demonstration of manners.
Rewards are given in the form of stickers, merits, and certificates. Pupils’ achievements are also recognised during assemblies and at our formal annual awards evening.
Individual Liberty:
Pupils are actively encouraged to make choices at our school, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we provide boundaries for our pupils to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and planned curriculum. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our e-Safety teaching. Pupils are given the freedom to make choices, for example; signing up for extra-curricular clubs and choosing options for their studies.
Mutual Respect:
Our school ethos and behaviour policy are based around Islamic values such as ‘respect’ and ‘responsibility.’
Tolerance of Those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:
This is achieved through enhancing pupils’ understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity in our local community which is by large white British. Collective Worship and discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in RE and PSHEE.
We have Interfaith Weeks where we study other world faiths and learn about their customs, practices and celebrations. We invite guest speakers and run workshops to give the pupils a real experience of a different belief system. We give pupils opportunities to visit places of worship and learn at the first-hand experience about people who hold beliefs other than theirs. Pupils participate in a number of community projects where they meet people from different faith and beliefs such as; feed the hungry, act of kinds and visit the elderly.