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We are naturally inclusive all of the statements of promoting British Values in our day to day care, planning and in our continuous provision planning.  However, it is important to be aware of how we are doing this or how much more aware of the need for promoting British values within our setting. We have researched and thought carefully of how we do this and below is example of things that we feel happen naturally, but we are now more aware of its importance.

 

According to Ofsted, the following British Values must be incorporated and demonstrated through EYFS learning and play:

• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

 

In order to incorporate democracy, we must show that everyone  is being treated equally and having equal rights.

In the early years it is all about teaching children that their opinions are important, and that each child’s thoughts and feelings should be listened to and valued. It is also important to teach children that sometimes they will be given the power to choose and will make decisions on their own and in groups.

 

 We promote democracy in our setting daily by:

• Having a daily choice – give children the option to choose which activities they are going to do during the morning session. Encourage them

   to respect each other’s decisions and discuss how children feel when the activity they would like isn’t chosen for that session. If there’s

   some children that cannot verbally communicate well, we may use picture cards.
• Story time – lay out a selection of books and ask children to vote showing hands for which one they would prefer to listen to.
• Turn taking – this can be done in a variety of ways through games, letters and sounds activities and times when there are limited resources.
• Emotions – help children to identify their emotions and talk about reasons for these emotions. We will often use emotions cards in

   the setting so that children that cannot verbalise their feelings can still share them. Identifying emotions is an important step in children 

   being able to manage their emotions.

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Promoting mutual respect and tolerance for others are about treating other people how you would like to be treated and learning to understand and appreciate each other’s differences, without allowing those differences to cause a change in the treatment of any sort.

It’s about being a part of a community where not everyone is the same and forming relationships within our community without discrimination. Our environment is inclusive, respectful and value faiths, cultures and races.

To promote mutual respect we will focus on behaviour such as sharing and respecting others opinions, in early years there are many opportunities for practitioners to encourage sharing, this can be achieved with most activities.

 

We promote respect and tolerance in our setting by:

• Encouraging children to share stories of their home that reflect the values and the diversity of their experiences.
• Provide resources and activities that challenge gender, cultural and racial stereotyping.
• Try and take the children on visits that engage with the wider community, such as to an elderly people who use the shared buildings.

   Ensure that children understand their own and others’ behaviour and its consequences and help them to distinguish right from wrong by

   promoting ‘the rule of law’.

 

We promote the rule of law in our setting by:

• Working with the children to create rules and codes of behaviour, such as agreeing rules about tidying up, and also ensuring children understand that the rules apply to everyone.

• Invite professionals to visit and learn about ‘people who help us’ and the laws and rules that we need to follow.

• Have a set of ‘house rules’ making sure you model this behaviour by following these rules too.

• Try and help children to understand their actions and the consequences. For example, by explaining to them how something they have done might have made another child feel instead of just asking them to say ‘sorry’.

  

We promote individual liberty in our setting by:

• Providing opportunities for risk taking such as obstacle courses for children to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and increase their confidence in their own abilities.

• Encouraging a range of experiences that allow children to explore the language of feelings and responsibility, reflect on their differences and understand everyone is free to have different opinions.

• Providing activities and opportunities such as mixing their own colours for leaf painting and taking part in races on the setting’s sports day. This helps children to develop a positive sense of themselves and increases their confidence and own abilities.

• Having group discussions about how the children may feel about the activities they did today or the story at story time. Allow them to voice their own feelings and understand that they are free to have different opinions.