Protected Characteristics

As a school we understand the importance of preparing our children for life in modern Britain and part of this is helping children to respect and celebrate diversity within our school community and more widely. Part of the work we do is talk to the children about the Equality Act and UN Rights of a Child. We do this throughout our curriculum and using Picture News to explore and discussed. The protected characteristics include:

• Gender
• Sexual Orientation
• Age
• Disability
• Gender Reassignment
• Marriage and Civil Partnership
• Pregnancy and Maternity 
• Race
• Religion or Belief

We also promote equality through the books we share:

 

 

What is the UN Convention?

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is the most complete statement of children’s rights ever produced and is the most widely-ratified international human rights treaty in history.

What makes the UN Convention so special?

The Convention has 54 articles that cover all aspects of a child’s life and set out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all children everywhere are entitled to. It also explains how adults and governments must work together to make sure all children can enjoy all their rights.

Every child has rights “without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the child’s or his or her parent’s or legal guardian’s race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status” (Article 2).

The Convention must be seen as a whole: all the rights are linked and no right is more important than another. The right to relax and play (Article 31) and the right to freedom of expression (Article 13) have equal importance as the right to be safe from violence (Article 19) and the right to education (Article 28).

We are the only organisation working for children recognised by the Convention.

The Convention is also the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world. All UN member states except for the United States have ratified the Convention. The Convention came into force in the UK in 1992.

 

As part of our Personal, Social and Health Education curriculum (PSHE), all classes work on valuing difference. We explore these themes in PSHE lessons, collective worship and through Picture News. During worships, we also look at books on respecting, accepting and celebrating diversity and our own uniqueness.

For more information about our commitment to promoting Equality and Diversity within our school please use the links below to view our Equality and Diversity page: 

British Values

At Westleigh Methodist Primary School, alongside our Christian values, we actively promote fundamental British values which complement our Christian values and ethos. The school reflects British Values in all that we do.

We reinforce and promote British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

We ensure children leave our school prepared for life in modern Britain. We want to enable our children to develop a sense of community and begin to develop their understanding of their roles and responsibilities within it. 

Westleigh Methodist Primary School promotes the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of our children. Children are actively encouraged to regard people of all faiths, cultures and religions with respect and tolerance.

At Westleigh Methodist, we uphold the British Value of DEMOCRACY by:

• Facilitating a democratic process for eliciting our school Council members

We uphold the British Value of RULE OF LAW by:

• School's Behaviour Policy
• Implementing our procedures for dealing with bullying issues (Anti-Bullying Policy) and rare incidents of racial, homophobic and other forms of discrimination. We demonstrate to our children that we take these issues seriously, mirroring the attitudes of British society
• Acknowledging those that follow rules and do the right thing - Star of the Week certificates, Christian Values Champion certificates, attendance and punctuality rewards, house points, Dojos, Mrs Boardman Award certificate, good work awards, kindness awards, Play Leader certificates (awarded by children to ther children for teamwork, co-operation and joining in games well)

We uphold the British Value of TOLERANCE by:

• Promoting our school values
• Promoting different languages
• Anti-Bullying Policy
• Celebrating our differences on Odd Socks Day each year
• Teaching about different cultures and religions in RE

We uphold the British Value of INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY by:

• Encouraging children to make choices knowing they are in a safe and supportive environment
• Encouraging children to know, understand and exercise their rights
• Providing extracurricular activities which offer equal opportunities
• Holding discussions in RE and other lessons which allow children to develop respect for onions, values and beliefs of others

We uphold the British Value of MUTUAL RESPECT by:

• Promoting our school values
• Promoting equality (Equality Act 2010)
• Our charity work
• Participating in community events such as Remembrance Day