British values

Priory School is a welcoming and highly supportive special school, with a positive ethos and vision for the success of all our students, through highly individualised and person-centred learning. Our vision for our school community is one of ‘Brilliant Lives’.  Our mission is to provide a learning community that inspires individuals to achieve amazing things. 

 We are committed to ensuring our students become valuable and fully rounded members of society who treat others with respect and tolerance, regardless of background.  We are proud of the rich diversity within our school and our community and we take every opportunity to promote ‘British Values’ through our Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) education which underpins our curriculum offer and supports the holistic development of our students.  

We recognise that such development is most successful when those values and attitudes are promoted and modelled by every member of our learning community.  We are committed to staff training and updating of our knowledge and understanding. 

 It is our intention that our students leave school fully prepared for life in modern Britain.   

As a school community, our core values are Ambition, Respect, Courage, Pride and Happiness. 

Ambition: having goals and the motivation to achieve them, no matter how big or small. Striving for ambition builds self-belief, promotes recognition of students’ unique abilities and requirements for personal progress. Encouraging ambition ensures every child/young person at Priory School is seen for their potential, not their limitations.

Respect: valuing yourself and others, treating people kindly, and recognising different opinions, backgrounds, and needs. In a diverse school community, respect creates a safe and supportive environment. For Priory students, being respected, and learning to show respect, builds confidence and promotes positive relationships with peers, staff, families and wider professionals they will encounter.

Courage: the strength to face challenges, try new things, and persevere when things are hard. By virtue of their needs, Priory students often face daily challenges. Courage helps them take risks in learning, speak up and ask for help, using their preferred communication method and empowers students to develop resilience and trust in their abilities.

Pride: feeling good about who you are and what you achieve. Celebration of achievements, either big or small are integral to the work of Priory School, striving to motivate students to keep progressing, reinforcing a sense of identity and belonging. When students are proud of their work and their progress, it fosters a positive attitude toward school and learning.

Happiness: feeling safe, valued, and content in yourself and your environment. A happy student is more open to learning and building relationships. For students with complex needs, happiness is closely linked to well-being, routine, and feeling understood. When students feel happy and supported, they are more engaged and ready to thrive both emotionally and academically.

We believe that these values reflect the fundamental British Values which will underpin our students’ learning.  These are:

Democracy:  an understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process.

Rule of Law:  the value and reasons behind laws and rules that govern and protect us, and the consequence when laws or rules are broken.  

Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs:  an acceptance that people having different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour.

Individual Liberty: an expectation that all students within the school have a voice that is listened to and the ability to make choices within a safe and supportive environment.

Mutual Respect: an understanding of how to recognise and celebrate our own achievements and those of others.

The Prevent duty

How do British values relate to Prevent?

British values include:

  1. The rule of law

  2. Individual liberty and mutual respect

  3. Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs

Priory School’s commitment to the promotion of British Values will continue to be part of our response to the Prevent strategy.

Will my young person understand extremism?

The Prevent strategy is not just about discussing extremism itself, which may not be accessible to all of our students. It is also about teaching students values such as tolerance and mutual respect. The school will make sure any discussions are suitable for the ability and level of understanding of students.

Is extremism really a risk for our students?

Extremism can take many forms, including political and religious extremism. Some of these may be a bigger threat than others. We aim to give students the skills to protect them from any extremist views they may encounter, now or later in their lives.