British Values

At Brandlehow, we feel that all pupils should have strong set of values and principles which allow them to flourish as they grow up living in Britain and playing a role in our collective society. The values of: Democracy, the Rule of Law, Individual Liberty, Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those with Different Faiths and Beliefs, run as a ‘golden thread’ through Brandlehow and everything we do.

Our pupils are advocates for Social Justice and have a strong sense of right and wrong. Through opportunities provided, they have a variety of outlets for expressing their feels in a productive manner.  Each class has a ‘worry box’ which they can use to share any concerns they have with their teacher. The School Council also provides the children with an opportunity for the children to express their feelings about aspects of school life and get involved in making positive change.

Our broad and balanced curriculum (designed with input from the children) celebrates diversity and deeply embeds understanding and tolerance.  The children engage in powerful texts in literacy (e.g. Goodnight Mr Tom, Beegu, Charlotte’s Web, Journey to the River Sea, The Garbage King, Elmer, Handa’s Surprise) which delve into themes of identity, struggle, strife and perseverance. The also give perspectives on life in different societies and our children see themselves represented in the books we share with them.  Though our humanities curriculum, we explore different faiths and beliefs held across the globe, and locally. 

The children enjoy trips to our local places of worship, such as St Stephen’s Church, the South London Gurdwara and the Wimbledon Buddhist Temple. Further afield, our children act as Global Ambassadors for Brandlehow with 2 Sister Schools in China. A group of 18 children and 4 staff will be heading to China in Spring 2025 to make this powerful connections for real and demonstrating British Values to our Chinese buddies.

Brandlehow is deeply rooted in community and often come together to achieve a greater goal. For example, each year the children participate in a whole school ‘Fun Run’ in which they dress-up and run around our local park to raise money for two charities – one local, one national/international.  The School Sports Council ask their classes which charities they would like to raise money for and vote on which to support.

Each week we hold an assembly that reflects Spiritual, Cultural, Moral or Ethical events of the week or month; these include faith celebrations such as Eid, Chinese New Year and Hanukkah.  Other themes that we learn about include Black History month, Remembrance Day, Internet Safety Day and LGBTQ+ month.