More and more people are realising how the understanding and enlightened use of values enriches and enhances emotional, social, moral, ethical and physical wellbeing, with the improved preparation for life and the workplace benefiting not only young people but society generally.
Increasingly those involved in teaching, mentoring, coaching and counselling young people are recognising that for too long there has been a false choice between academic standards, and activities that build character and promote values literacy. Believing both are equally important if young citizens are to succeed in modern Britain, the Department for Education is now actively encouraging and supporting activities that build character and promote the beneficial application of values and it is determined to put character education and values-enhanced learning on a par with academic learning for pupils across the country.
As part of the inspection framework, all schools in England, which are subject to the regulations of the National Curriculum, are expected to have active policies in place for the following:
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) education
Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education
Citizenship
Fundamental British values
Prevention of the radicalisation of children.
The Department for Education has published SMSC guidance and set out what is expected of schools in England in promoting fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and those without faith.
When Ofsted inspectors form a judgement of a school, they must consider the provision being made for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and, with the additional duty to actively promote fundamental British values, schools must:
have a clear strategy for embedding these values, and
show how their work with pupils has been effective in doing so.
The Human Values Foundation’s programmes called:
EDUCATION IN HUMAN VALUES (“EHV”) for ages 4 to 12, and
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL EDUCATION (“SEE”) for ages 12 to 14+
offer ways in which to meet National and local curriculum expectations, because they have been designed and written to make the range of topics easily and readily available for teachers to deliver.
The materials were written by teachers for teachers and are universal resources. Their teaching techniques are easy to apply and can be adapted to harness the learning opportunities provided by modern technologies. The lesson plans are detailed and supported with music on CDs, song sheets, stories, ideas for group activities and themes for school and year group assemblies. Each lesson illustrates a value and, in an organised and coherent way, leads into a series of related values, which make delivery of objectives easy to implement. As the teaching techniques are all largely familiar, there is nothing new to learn and the time-saving modules can therefore be exploited by both experienced and more recently qualified teachers.
VALUES-BASED EDUCATION OUTCOMES:
creates a climate where excellence is the standard