At Yavneh College, we are committed to promoting British Values in an effort to ensure that our pupils to grow as individuals who positively contribute to the local, national and global communities in which they interact and live.
Embracing British Values is achieved through both the curriculum and the school’s ethos. Consequently, one of the five tenets of Yavneh College’s Vision is:
Creating a safe, nurturing and supportive school with graduates who reflect British values, care for others and are proud to play a meaningful role within the communities to which they belong.
These Values are also reflected in our embrace of ‘The Yavneh Way,’ four simple words that set out the manner in which we expect members of the school community to treat people, with politeness, kindness, courtesy and respect, all crucial in fulfilling the Yavneh College school motto of ‘a world built on kindness.’
We are committed to promoting British Values through our spiritual, moral, social and cultural education (SMSC). This permeates through the school’s curriculum as well as through the many dedicated activities which champion community engagement and respect for others.
We recognise that such development is most successful when those values and attitudes are promoted by staff, providing a model of behaviour for our pupils.
We are profoundly aware that as a faith school, it is vital that our pupils have exposure to a wide experience beyond their faith community during which these concepts are further realised, and we regularly do this through for example, sporting events, educational visits and participation in numerous activities with other schools both within the Borehamwood community and beyond.
The government set out its definition of British Values in its Prevent Strategy:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect
- Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs. At Yavneh, we believe that tolerance alone is not enough and we aim to teach respect of, and appreciation of those of, different faiths and beliefs.
British Values Extra Curriculum
The Alan Senitt Community Leadership programme brings together year 10 pupils from 6 different schools, Guru Nanak Sikh Academy, Yavneh College, Immanuel College, JCoSS, Watford Grammar and Nower Hill High School, to gain skills to enable them to make a difference within their local community.
It brings the pupils together for seminars once a month where they take part in sessions about leadership skills and inclusivity, the course brings all the skills together that they learn in seminars to enable them to run a project to enhance their local community.
Hertsmere Forum of Faiths – Celebration of Faiths (Years 7-11 AG&T) – An evening event in which our pupils learn about others faiths and teach pupils from other schools about Judaism.
YCIT (Yavneh College Israel Trip) (Year 9) – An 18 day trip which gives pupils a unique opportunity to discover and learn about the ancient and contemporary sites of the country and appreciate the opportunities and challenges it faces, from multiple perspectives.
YCLP (Yavneh College London Programme) (Year 9) – An 18 day programme in which pupils take part in a variety of activities to learn about London culture, geography and society, strengthen friendships and focus on community. Programmes include a Treasure Hunt around London, team building games and learning cockney rhyming slang!
History – Trip to WW1 Battlefields (Year 8) – All year 8 pupils are offered the opportunity to attend the Ypres battlefield.
Poland Trip (Year 12) – The Yavneh College Poland Trip gives our students a unique opportunity to learn about European Judaism of the Middle Ages as well as seeing first hand some of the sites where a third of World-Jewry was destroyed.
Daily Prayer Services (Years 7-11) – A 15 minute window providing pupils with the opportunity to reflect on their religious practice and world events.
Mitzvah Week (whole school) – Hands on activities which provide non-financial support for our 3 school charities. The aim is for pupils to contribute to the community by just giving time. Projects have included making Christmas decorations for Meningitis Now, making Chanukah cards for Jewish Blind and Disabled and making key-rings to children with Cancer.
One People (Am Echad) – the name of the Yavneh College charity wing – (whole school) – Charity events run by pupils for pupils to raise money for our 3 school charities.
Hand of Yavneh (Yad Yavneh) (Years 7-9) – Twice a week in this enrichment, pupils make food either for the charity GIFT to distribute to needy families or for a local homeless shelter.
Yoni Jesner Award (Year 8) – Working with a volunteering network, pupils volunteer for 20+ hours in a variety of places across the community in memory of Yoni Jesner, a Scottish boy who was killed in a terrorist attack. Pupils have volunteered for local Brownies, nursing homes, youth organisations, coaching various sporting activities, mentoring younger pupils, made food for less fortunate people and much more.
‘Magistrates in the Community’ Assembly (Years 7-9) – Aims of this assembly were/are for pupils to understand the role of magistrates’ courts and understand the impact of crime.
Lifeskills Days (Years 7-11) – Lesson with two Police Community Support Officers. Police speak to children about drugs and alcohol and how they affect their life and also the police perspective of drugs and alcohol.
Sixth form Politics Society (open to all pupils) – Run by year 13 politics students at lunchtimes – students meet to discuss and debate current affairs and relevant political issues.
Ashley Sweetland MBE – guest speaker – Ashley spoke about his work with Young Parliament and the importance and role of young people in politics and the democratic process. Yavneh College/Hertswood Academy (Years 7-9) – Collaborating on a local project, Words in the Wood, together with 13 primary schools.
GIFT Lunch and Learn – Enrichment (Years 7-9) – A weekly lunchtime club where pupils learn about the importance of giving to others and also take part in hands on activities to help less fortunate people.
GIFT…Make a Difference (Year 12) – A Year 12 course in which students created projects to help their communities.
Current affairs display board (Outside Room 110) – Year 12 politics students update this noticeboard on a regular basis to cover current affairs. The displays have focussed on the Scottish Referendum and the 2015 General Election this year.
Local History Project – celebrating 75 years of Hillside School (Year 9 AG&T) – This was a local history enrichment where pupils engaged with the history of Hillside School (the school previously on this physical site). Pupils researched the history of the school in its 75 years. This included looking at archives from the local Borehamwood museum and interviewing a range of ex-pupils, staff and a former Chair of Governors.
Educational Visit to Parliament (Year 12) – All Politics students had a chance to tour Parliament with an MP.
SMSC Policy
Aims
Yavneh College is committed to:
- Ensuring that its pupils develop spiritually in their own believes while showing respect and understanding of others
- Developing pupils who know right from wrong, who actively make good choices and who contribute to the community in a variety of different ways
- Encouraging its pupils to value and support others; to value democracy and to participate and contribute to society as a result
- Providing as many opportunities as possible for pupils to explore their own culture while appreciating the many cultures that make up modern Britain today
SMSC in Practice
At Yavneh College:
The Spiritual development of pupils is shown by their:
- ability to be reflective about their own beliefs, religious or otherwise, that inform their perspective on life and their interest in and respect for different people’s faiths, feelings and values
The Moral development of pupils is shown by their:
- ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong, readily applying this understanding in their own lives and, in so doing, respecting the civil and criminal law of England
- understanding of the consequences of their behaviour and actions
- interest in investigating and offering reasoned views about moral and ethical issues and being able to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues.
The Social development of pupils is shown by their:
- use of a range of social skills in different contexts, including working and socialising with pupils from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds
- willingness to participate in a variety of communities and social settings, including by volunteering, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively
- acceptance and engagement with the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs; the pupils develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.
The Cultural development of pupils is shown by their:
- understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and that of others
- understanding and appreciation of the range of different cultures within school and further afield as an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain
- knowledge of Britain’s democratic parliamentary system and its central role in shaping our history and values, and in continuing to develop Britain
- willingness to participate in and respond positively to artistic, sporting and cultural opportunities
- interest in exploring, improving understanding of and showing respect for different faiths and cultural diversity, and the extent to which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity, as shown by their tolerance and attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities.