Assembly/SMSC/British Values
The Grange Academy enriches our curriculum provision with a comprehensive assembly programme to support our students’ personal development and raise their awareness and appreciation of key issues, faiths, events and practices.
Assemblies occur in tutor time in same age year groups to support age appropriate guidance and content. Assemblies can also occur as collective meetings of year groups when appropriate. Assemblies can be extended to create time to allow guest speakers and deliver external programmes.
Assemblies focus habits of success, skills and qualities that support independent learning. Our assembly programme is an important part of our knowledge rich curriculum promoting the culture and ethos of our academy, supporting our students and fostering fundamental British Values, raise social, moral, spiritual and cultural awareness; promote personal, social, health, relationship and sex education. We always link our assemblies to our core values of 'Knowledge, Aspiration and Respect'
British Values
Respect, tolerance for others and inclusiveness permeate our academy community. Every individual is valued and encouraged to believe they can succeed.
We use the five Fundamental British Values to underpin all our work in school, building a greater sense of self identity and awareness of our place in the wider world. The five British Values are democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs.
british values poster at the grange.pdf
Democracy
The principle of democracy is consistently being reinforced at The Grange Academy, with democracy processes being used for important decisions within the school community, for instance, elections being held for student council representatives. The principle of democracy is also explored in the History and Religious Studies curriculum as well as in PSHE lessons and assemblies.
The Rule of Law
The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the Academy, or the country, are consistently reinforced at The Grange Academy.
Students are taught the rules and expectations of the Academy which are highlighted by class rules and student expectations within 'TGAWAY' 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.
Individual Liberty
At The Grange Academy, students are actively encouraged to make independent choices, with the knowledge that they are in a safe, secure and supportive environment. Staff at The Grange Academy educate and provide boundaries for students to make informed choices, through a safe environment and an empowering education.
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. The Grange Academy has a robust anti-bullying culture and has in place a clear Behaviour Policy and personal development programme.
Mutual Respect
Respect is a strong part of The Grange Academy and is part of our Ethos & Values. RESPECT being one of our core academy values. Students learn that their behaviours has 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 its teaching and learning environments. Mutual respect is embraced throughout the curriculum by providing the opportunity for students to express their views in a safe environment.
Tolerance of those of different Faiths and Beliefs
This is achieved though equipping students with the ability to understand their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving the opportunities to experience such diversity within the school community. Additionally, students are actively encouraged to share their faith and beliefs within the school and celebrate festivities throughout the calendar year. The Religious Studies curriculum, Citizenship and PSHE curriculum provides a broad and balanced education on a range of faiths, religions and cultures.
The Grange Academy 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.
Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education
All students at The Grange Academy study Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE), which is delivered as part of the tutor programme. (*NEW* In the academic year 2024/5 PSHE in KS3 will become a timetabled 50min lesson) The PSHE curriculum complements the programmes of study for all other subjects and aims to help our students develop key skills and acquire the knowledge, understanding and attributes they need to manage their lives now and in the future. It aims to introduce our students to the concept that they are part of a wider community as global citizens now and in their future roles within a global community.
Through our PSHE curriculum we aim to help build confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives and enjoy learning. We want our students to become responsible citizens who make positive contributions to society. Our PSHE curriculum is underpinned by British Values as well as Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) developments.
Our PSHE curriculum aims to help students:
- develop positive personal attributes such as resilience, self-confidence, self-esteem, and empathy
- develop skills and strategies to live healthy, safe, fulfilling, responsible and balanced lives
- form positive relationships
- explore, clarify and if necessary challenge, their own and others’ values, attitudes, beliefs, rights and responsibilities
- respond to challenge, making and acting upon informed decisions
- communicate effectively
- be an active partner in their own learning
- be active citizens within the local and wider community.
Student Leadership
Student Council
The Student Council represents the views of students from across the school. The Council has members from every year group who are elected on an annual basis.
The Student Council meets regularly and students discuss a wide variety of subjects suggested by both staff and the students themselves. The School Council plays an important role in the recruitment of new staff as they to ask in-depth questions about elements of the role that they find important.
Student voice is greatly valued at The Grange Academy and the Student Council makes a valuable contribution to many aspects of school life. The Student Council members take great pride in their school and in their ability to play a significant role in its life and development.
SMSC
Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural education provides students with opportunities to reflect on their experiences, helping them to responsibly manage and understand a range of behaviours and situations as they develop. SMSC promotes respect for diversity and the differences that exist between people, developing our students' well-being, self-esteem and promoting strong achievement. SMSC is promoted at The Grange Academy across all subjects, and enhanced through, Assemblies and PSHE lessons.
Social: Using social skills appropriately in different contexts and understanding how different groups and communities function, being tolerant of others.
Moral: Recognising right and wrong, understanding choices and consequences, investigating moral and ethical issues and being able to offer a reasoned viewpoint.
Spiritual: Exploring beliefs and experiences, respecting values, discover yourself and the surrounding world and your place within it, using imagination and creativity and being able to reflect as an individual.
Cultural: Understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity, participating in cultural opportunities and understand and appreciate cultural influences.
How do we promote SMSC?
In our changing world and local communities, it is also important to promote fundamental British values as part of SMSC and this includes celebrating our strong vision and ethos, encouraging and supporting students to develop effective relationships, providing a broad and balanced curriculum whilst offering activities beyond the classroom.
All of our students are encouraged to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect and tolerance. We also promote the British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance. By actively promoting these values we challenge anyone in our school community whose opinions or behaviours undermine these core beliefs.
As a result of this work, we expect from our students:
- An understanding of how they as citizens, in our school and in their local community, can bring about influence through a democratic process
- An understanding regarding the rule of law and how it aims to protect individuals and the need for it to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all
- An understanding of the freedom of choice, particularly related to choice regarding faith and beliefs, and how these choices are protected in law
- An acceptance of others who hold differing beliefs, faiths and opinions and that tolerance is required and how discriminatory or prejudicial behaviour is against the values and ethos of this school but also is against the law
- An understanding of the importance of identifying discriminatory behaviours and actions and understanding that action needs to be taken to combat such behaviours
Equality Act and Protected Characteristics
The Equality Act became law in 2010. It covers everyone in Britain and protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation. Everyone in Britain is protected. This is because the Equality Act protects people against discrimination because of the protected characteristics that we all have. Under the Equality Act, there are nine Protected Characteristics:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender reassignment
- Marriage or civil partnership
- Pregnancy and maternity
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
Under the Equality Act you are protected from discrimination:
- When you are in the workplace
- When you use public services like healthcare (for example, visiting your doctor or local hospital) or education (for example, at your school or college)
- When you use businesses and other organisations that provide services and goods (like shops, restaurants, and cinemas)
- When you use transport
- When you join a club or association (for example, your local sports club)
- When you have contact with public bodies like your local council or government departments
We use the British values and the protected characteristics in the Equality Act as a framework to prevent discrimination of any kind in our community and explicitly teach our students to report any discrimination to a trusted adult immediately.
The 9 Protected Characteristics are actively promoted at TGA through:
- Our school vision
- The Grange Academy Way
- Our consistent behaviour routines
- Our student council
- Our wider community outreach and engagement
- Our Community Conversations
- Our PSHE curriculum and explicit teaching of British values and the equality act
- Our wider curriculum areas
- Our wider opportunities for external speakers, workshops and external visits.