British Values at Wellsprings

At Wellsprings we celebrate the diversity of our 21st century culture in Britain.  We also endeavour to teach our children about British culture over time, celebrating the key events in Britain’s long, important history.

We have undertaken ‘mock’ votes linked to local and national elections, which recently included a vote for purchasing our school mascot – now known as Lily.

The School Council are an active bunch, who regularly discuss issues relevant to their peers, including deciding on the apparatus choices for our KS2 playground.

The Christian calendar is an important reference point for the school, and we have many good links with local churches.

We look at many aspects of British culture, especially in our studies of traditions.  (A good site to visit on the web is the British Culture, Traditions and Customs area of the Woodlands Primary School site, which provides good information for primary school aged children, and their teachers!)

Our assemblies often deal with key aspects of British culture – eg Harvest Festival, St George’s Day and St David’s Day, and significant British people from history (for example, Winston Churchill).

Our Remembrance Day assembly was particularly fitting, with a cross emblazoned with a poppy designed and made by children across the school.

Opportunities to visit places of interest about British culture are also a key feature of our curriculum.  This has included visits to a local farm by Year 5/6, a seaside trip to Minehead by KS1, and Year 3/4 visits to Wellsprings Chapel, the Rural Life Museum, and Taunton Museum.

Our Foundation Stage learn early on about our local British culture – one of the first things they do in the school calendar is look at the importance of Carnivals in Somerset life.  They dress up and make carnival ‘floats’ and a stage appears by magic (!) to allow the children to celebrate in true carnival style.  The carnival procession takes over the whole school – lessons are momentarily paused as the carnival marches on across the corridors, bringing a glimmer of carnival glamour to the school!​​

We have undertaken numerous projects with organisations across Somerset, from carnivals, exhibitions to community links. Refer to project with Local nursing home, Cedar Lodge: Community links- Cedar Lodge.pdf

Refer to project with Tone River, for the summer procession:​ Tone art project.pdf

We consider it important that our children know what made Britain so great in the past, as well as preparing them for an ever-changing Britain in modern 21st century life.

Our curriculum is broad and interesting – we try to make links across the subjects in celebrating British culture.  For example, in our Art Exhibition (eg our Tudor constructions, famous British artists/craftsmen), with our writing topics (eg the Great Fire of London, the Battle of Trafalgar), and making learning ‘real’ (evacuees being given daily ration books and WW2 rations!). Refer to Art Exhibition Presentation: Art Exhibition.pdf

Refer to British Values in Science