British Values
Preparing students to thrive in modern Britain and the wider world.
Our Commitment
Changing Lives Independent School is committed to providing an education which prepares our students to thrive in modern Britain, and knowledge and understanding of British Values are a key part of this commitment. We are dedicated to preparing our students for their adult life, and this is reflected in our focus on developing students’ independence and resilience.
Our vision is to nurture a vibrant, inclusive learning community where every student thrives through the values of kindness, respect, and resilience. Our values are the heart of everything we do, and we believe that these values fully align with and support the active promotion of British Values. We strive to help students build respect for themselves and for the diverse views and values of others, fostering resilience that empowers them to achieve their aspirations and transform their lives.
We recognise the multicultural, multi-faith and multi-ethnic nature of both our city and the United Kingdom, and we celebrate the cultural diversity of our city and nation across our provision. We value the diversity of backgrounds of all students, families and the wider school community that we serve. Our approach to British Values links together all aspects of our curriculum — including our Changing Lives curriculum, character curriculum, our tutor time and SMSC provision, and our academic and vocational curriculum — to ensure that students know, understand and model these values.
We are committed to taking a positive stand to ensure that everyone in our community has the right to equality of opportunity and achievement, regardless of race and ethnicity, faith, belief, and religion, disability and access, ability, age, sex, sexual orientation or gender. As set out in our Equality Policy, we are dedicated to ensuring that there will be no discrimination against any individual or group within the school.
We also understand the vital role we have in ensuring that groups or individuals within our school are not subjected to intimidation or radicalisation by those wishing to unduly, or illegally, influence them. We develop our students’ understanding of, and resilience to, these harms through explicit teaching across our curriculum. This understanding is also embedded across our provision, through safeguarding, pastoral care and our curriculum areas.
What the Department for Education Requires
Department for Education guidance, 2014
“To create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to 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”. Department for Education, 2014
The Department for Education defines British Values as follows:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect
- Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
In promoting these values, we place developing students’ knowledge and understanding of them at the heart of our personal development curriculum, as well as providing students with experiences and opportunities which reinforce their understanding of them. We embolden our students to be kind, respectful, curious and increasingly independent individuals who are respectful of themselves and of others in our school, our local community and the wider world — acting as ‘Active Citizens’.
Our Approach to British Values
Each of the five values below sets out exactly how we deliver it across our provision — in lessons, in tutor time, through our SMSC calendar and through our work with partners.
Democracy
Changing Lives is committed to providing opportunities for students to engage with, understand and participate in democracy and democratic processes. We believe it is important that our students are able to understand different political views, discuss current events and develop political literacy.
How we deliver it
- Holding whole school council elections and empowering our student council to make decisions
- Empowering students to develop the use of their voice through our Speak Up programme in form time
- Holding regular student voice activities, including whole school ballots
- Developing students’ oracy and debating skills across the curriculum, equipping them with the knowledge, understanding and skills to share their views and understand the views of others
- Teaching the history and development of democracy. Democracy and the theme of democracy is featured throughout the curriculum — for example, in History lessons, focusing on the development of democracy and democratic reform
- Changing Lives lessons explicitly teach about the political system and workings of democracy in the UK, including democratic rights
- Exploring democracy in curriculum lessons — for example, in English students learn about the experiences of the suffragettes
- Opportunities for students to work with the Manchester Youth Parliament and other local organisations, including local councillors and our local MP
- Discussing and exploring local, national and global events throughout our curriculum
- Engaging students with local, national and global events and celebrations
- Students participate fully in UK Parliament Week each year, as well as key SMSC calendar events such as Women’s History Month, LGBT+ History Month and Black History Month
- Developing students’ resilience towards extremism and extremist narratives through our Changing Lives curriculum, and engaging with recognised Home Office partners such as Odd Arts to increase students’ resilience to hate speech and radicalisation
The Rule of Law
Changing Lives is committed to developing law-abiding citizens.
How we deliver it
- Promoting and encouraging respectful and kind behaviour and attitudes, helping students to distinguish right from wrong through our approach to behaviour, our character curriculum, and teaching students about key laws and the justice system in our Changing Lives curriculum
- In Changing Lives lessons, students are taught the value and reasons behind laws — that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. The Changing Lives curriculum specifically explores the law on hate crime, drug classification and human rights, as well as the laws around online behaviour
- Within IT lessons, students explore their rights and responsibilities around the use of social media platforms, including laws around sexting, exploitation and the legal use of social media platforms
- Teaching students about the laws, rules and regulations which apply to specific industries, in our animal care and equine studies provision
- Exploring, in tutor time and Changing Lives lessons, relevant laws which link to local, national and international SMSC events
- Signposting to students where to seek help, support and guidance in relation to law breaking and the harms that this may cause them, their peers or their community
- Our school enforces the idea of consequences for those who do not follow the policy and rewards students who follow it. We provide reflection opportunities, so that all students understand their behaviour and the impact that it has on themselves and others; this is also mirrored in our character curriculum
- We facilitate visits from authorities and local partners such as The George House Trust, Brook, and Greater Manchester Police and Fire Service to help reinforce the importance of the rule of law within both the school and wider life
Individual Liberty
We believe in the importance of developing students who can make informed choices and become independent adults who are aware of their rights.
How we deliver it
- Our participation in the UNICEF UK Rights Respecting Schools Award, where we currently hold Bronze: Rights Committed
- Developing students’ understanding of their rights and responsibilities through our taught curriculum, ensuring students know about their rights and the rights of others
- Changing Lives lessons engage students to explore the importance of rights and aim to develop the skills of resilience and empathy, alongside explicitly teaching students about human rights, freedom and the importance of citizenship
- The Changing Lives character curriculum supports students to develop the knowledge and skills which help them to make positive choices and engage in community citizenship
- Teaching about the importance of freedom and human rights, a key theme present in our English curriculum
- Teaching students about activism and individuals who have inspired change in society across curriculum areas and in tutor time, including through local, national and international SMSC events
- Encouraging students to make individual choices within their personal pathways through a planned programme of CEIAG and personalised support
- Actively promoting and helping students to express their views, ideas and thoughts in an open and safe environment, through our teaching and learning approach
- Enforcing our school’s robust anti-bullying policy
Mutual Respect
It is important that students know their behaviour has an impact on their own rights and the rights of others. Treating each other with respect is actively promoted throughout the school and this is fully aligned to our values.
How we deliver it
- Tutor time and SMSC sessions which focus on respect, kindness and equality throughout each academic year
- Mutual respect is discussed and reinforced through our behaviour and anti-bullying policies and across all aspects of our curriculum, as part of our school values
- Staff and students are empowered to challenge prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour. All such incidents are recorded, and action is robustly taken to address any such issues. Staff receive regular CPD on creating a community of belonging
- Throughout the academic curriculum students learn about different people, societies and cultures, providing them with knowledge and understanding which supports respect for others
- Our curriculum is designed to encourage students to reflect on their behaviour and conduct towards others; this includes our Changing Lives curriculum and our character curriculum
- The Changing Lives curriculum explicitly covers the importance of mutual respect, with particular emphasis on anti-discrimination, especially with regard to protected characteristics
- The Changing Lives character curriculum further develops students’ knowledge and understanding of upstander behaviour, empathy and respect
- Students are provided with an array of opportunities, activities and events that enable them to work with a wide range of other students, including our ‘Community Days’
- Our taught curriculum encourages students to work in groups and understand each other’s needs, strengths and weaknesses, promoting a culture of mutual respect, empathy and kindness. For example, in PE, students explore fair play, sportsmanship and respecting others
Tolerance of Those of Different Faiths and Beliefs
Changing Lives Independent School does not actively promote one faith or belief system over another, and actively encourages students to be aware of, understand and be tolerant towards the range of views which exist within our society.
How we deliver it
- Recognition and discussion of religious celebrations in lessons and tutor time
- Discussions about prejudice, discrimination, bullying and harassment across all aspects of our curriculum
- Through the Changing Lives curriculum, students are explicitly taught units of work to develop their understanding of faith, belief and religion
- Across the academic curriculum students explore a diverse range of texts, case studies and situations which challenge misconceptions about religion and develop their understanding of the multi-faith nature of the UK
- Across the curriculum students are encouraged to discuss and respect differences between people — such as differences of faith, ethnicity, disability, gender or sexuality, and differences of family situations. For example, in English lessons students study an array of texts which prompt discussions around discrimination, prejudice, oppression and intolerance
- Members of our community who are marking religious or cultural events are encouraged to share their beliefs and practices within their tutor groups
- Our school takes part in key national, local and regional events — such as Holocaust Memorial Day, LGBT+ History Month, Black History Month and Women’s History Month — where students are encouraged to reflect, empathise and form their own views on these topics
- Working with recognised partners, collaboratively developing educational programmes which challenge extremism and radicalisation
How We Monitor This
Quality Assurance
Monitoring of British Values forms an important part of school quality assurance processes, including as part of:
- Safeguarding oversight
- Curriculum, and teaching and learning, quality assurance
- Personal Development quality assurance
Governance
The proprietor receives regular reports on our personal development curriculum.
The proprietor will review this statement annually, or sooner where changes in legislation, regulations, or school circumstances require revision.
Nominated lead member of staff: Stephen King · Statutory, annual review · Next review September 2027
Want to Know More?
If you have any questions about how we promote British Values at Changing Lives Independent School, we would be glad to hear from you.
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