British values in the early years

Why do we promote British values in the early years?

British Values are a part of the statutory Prevent Duty guidance that all childcare providers and early years settings need to follow. The Prevent Duty statutory guidance is focused on preventing all children from being drawn into terrorism. Within the strategy released by the government, they define terrorism as the active opposition to exactly the British Values detailed here. As a result, promoting and actively encouraging these values plays a crucial role in the Prevent strategy.

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What do Ofsted and the Local Authority say about British values?

In Ofsted's Education Inspection Framework (EIF), it now states that inspectors will make a judgement on how settings are ‘developing [learners'] understanding of fundamental British Values’.

And, in the Early Years Inspection Handbook, an inadequate grading in Leadership and Management me be given because, "Leaders do not tackle instances of discrimination. Equality, diversity and British values are not actively promoted in practice."

It's particularly important you can evidence how you support the promotion of British values to your local authority, as your funding depends on it. The Prevent Duty guidance states, "Early education funding regulations in England have been amended to ensure that providers who fail to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs do not receive funding from local authorities for the free early years entitlement."

So let's take a look at how British values are defined.

What are the British values we should be promoting?

1. Democracy

Democracy is where we make decisions together. Like many of the other British Values, it’s also about making sure that everyone has equal rights and is treated equally. Each child’s views matter, and it’s important they are given the opportunity to share and collaborate to make decisions together.

How might I deliver this in my early years setting, in line with the EYFS?

• Enabling children to feel comfortable with questions is an important part of improving their confidence. Making sure you have an environment that allows inquiring minds to ask questions is key to this.
• Many of the British Values encourage sharing and collaborating, and it’s one of the most important skills children learn in the early years. Develop provisions that are encourage and support collaborating and working together towards a common goal wherever possible.
• You can actively encourage democracy by getting the kids involved in decisions, such as asking for hands up to decide about new things you’re bringing in and counting votes. Letting them be a part of making displays and other things around the setting is also allowing them to actively participate in a democracy.

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2. Rule of Law

The Rule of Law is about understanding that rules matter in our society. And that’s about understanding that there are some rules that we need to follow. At an earlier level, it’s more about understanding cause and effect and that our actions have consequences. This also ties into distinguishing between right and wrong.

How might I deliver this in my early years setting, in line with the EYFS?

• The most obvious way to introduce the rule of law into your setting is by having a short set of simple, consistent house rules. Ideally, children will have a hand in creating and agreeing on these themselves. Making sure you model behaviour by following these rules is important too.
• Understanding the nature of cause and effect is a massive part of the rule of law. At a younger age, children will love discovering how their actions can alter things physically, and you should explore this in your provision.
• Actions have consequences. Showing this to children shouldn’t be about shame, that’s not what the British Values are about. Instead it’s about explaining to children how something they have done might have made another child feel, instead of just asking them to say a meaningless ‘sorry’.

3. Individual Liberty

Individual Liberty focuses on freedom for everyone. The main point developmentally is to give children a positive sense of themselves. Promoting their self-confidence and self-awareness is really important, as well as giving them the language and context to understand their own emotions.

How might I deliver this in my early years setting, in line with the EYFS?

• Child-led play is a simple way to develop a child’s liberty. Allowing them to explore their own interests rather than moving them towards your pre-made plan is a great way to raise their self-confidence.
• Allow children to have favourite things, and explore these. Let them mix their own colours and explore the results. Read them their favourite book. Let them gather up leaves and sticks in the forest that interest them.
• Health and safety shouldn’t get in the way of risky play. It’s absolutely crucial to develop a child’s sense of confidence and awareness of what they’re doing.‍

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4. Mutual Respect and Tolerance

There should be an environment that encourages tolerance of all faiths, cultures, races and views, along with an understanding and celebration of our differences and similarities.

How might I deliver this in my early years setting, in line with the EYFS?

• Take time to help children understand our similarities and differences. Encourage them to be aware of others and how they might be the same or differ. This is key to respecting other cultures that might seem entirely different from their own background.
• Create a calendar of cultural events, and find ways to bring them into your activities and provisions. This way children are able to understand and play a part in cultures that they wouldn’t necessarily see in their lives outside of the nursery.‍
• Find stories about children who have a range of experiences. They’ll be fascinating to little brains and allow them to understand and be tolerant of other faiths.
• An understanding of the wider community in which they live is also a way of showing the diverse world that we live in. Taking the children out on day trips is just one way to do this

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How else can we promote British values?

Promoting British values is also about challenging behaviour that goes against these ideals. For example, your setting cannot:

• Actively promote intolerance of other faiths, cultures and races.
• Fail to challenge stereotypes
• Routinely separate boys and girls
• Isolate children from the wider community
• Fail to challenge behaviours that are not in line with the British Values we’ve been talking about.

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A great way to check in on how you're doing is to conduct an Assess, Action and Show audit.

• Assess – Think about your setting and the activities and provisions you have for your children. Are you falling short in any of the four areas outlined as British values? Are you doing more than just box-ticking?‍
• Action – Take action to improve if you are falling short. Educate staff on the importance of British Values. Actively add initiatives that focus on the values, or on ways to promote them. Explain to parents why they matter.‍
• Show – Make sure you can explain or show to parents, inspectors or new teachers how you promote British values. If you can’t easily explain what you’ve done, you mightn’t gone far enough.