‚British Values‘ may be a difficult term to define, and the values we promote are not exclusively British, to be sure. However, Britain does have a long association with concepts such as democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect, tolerance, freedom of speech, fair play, and standing up to defend these ideas against those who would like to see them disappear from the world.
As a British International School, we are constantly looking for ways to help our children understand the part which they have to play in this world as they grow. Through the School Council, they each have the opportunity to speak freely and be heard.
Each month, one pupil from each class takes on the role of Councillor for their class. Their job is to listen to the needs of their fellow pupils, collect ideas and suggestions for how we run the school and present them at Council Meetings.
Therefore, we believe that this process gives pupils personal experience of these ‚British values‘. For example, the process of adopting an idea involves discussion and compromise. School is about education and attendance is a legal requirement in the Czech Republic, so proposals have to accommodate this. We also have a duty of care to the children, which means that suggestions must be safe!
To ensure that everything respects the rule of law, two of our teachers act as ‚Head Councillors‘ and make rulings on whether proposals can be adopted or not. To ensure mutual respect, any rejections have to come with reasons which are also open for discussion.
The discussion process helps children to understand the concepts of personal responsibility and fair play. Their ideas may have negative impacts on others, for example. There is also a positive influence on their critical thinking abilities, too. The reasoning behind a rejection of an idea often causes a rethink, leading to a modified version of the idea being accepted. As a result, their proposals have become much more realistic since the beginning of the school year.
So although our ‚British values‘ are not unique to Britain, they are important to the British identity. And the fact that we are a British International School does not mean that we are a factory for producing identical children with ‚British Values‘ stamped on them. Rather, this concept which we label as ‚British Values‘ means that our children begin to see that by tolerating and respecting each other, we can live in a friendlier, more cooperative world where our lives may improve.
They also begin to see that this process is not a God-given right, but is a result of the rule of law, which is itself open to discusion and modification. The rule of law, in fact, is the product of democracy, tolerance, individual liberty and mutual respect.
And if some dictatorial teacher tries to abolish the Student Council? Then you may be sure that the children have developed the confidence to stand up and defend it.
