A primary school Introduction to the Five British Values
Updated: 3 days ago
This British Values assembly for primary schools provides a clear, child-friendly introduction to the five fundamental British Values: democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance. Through discussion, reflection and simple explanations, pupils explore what each value means and why shared values are important in school and wider society.
Suitable for EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.
The assembly is designed both to introduce the values and to revisit them with children who have encountered them before.
This is an ideal starting point before exploring each value in greater depth through our British Values assemblies for primary schools.
What are the five British Values?
The five fundamental British Values are democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
For primary-aged children, these can seem like quite complicated ideas. This assembly introduces each value in simple language and connects them with situations children can recognise from their own lives.
Pupils are first challenged to see how many of the five British Values they can remember before exploring what each one means. Teachers can spend more time on the values children are least confident about, making the assembly useful both as an introduction and as a refresher.
Schools can then explore each value individually through our Democracy assemblies, Rule of Law assemblies, Individual Liberty assemblies, Mutual Respect assemblies and Tolerance assemblies.
What does democracy mean for children?
Democracy is about people having a voice and being involved in decisions.
In primary schools, children can experience democracy through activities such as voting, choosing representatives for a school council, sharing their opinions and listening to the views of others.
Understanding democracy helps children recognise that their voice matters, while also learning that decisions sometimes have to reflect the views of a wider group.
Our Democracy assembly for primary schools can be used to explore this British Value in greater depth.
What does the Rule of Law mean for children?
The Rule of Law means that everyone follows the same laws and that those laws should apply fairly.
Children can begin to understand this through the rules they encounter at school. Rules help to keep people safe, establish clear expectations and allow communities to work together successfully.
The assembly explains that laws work in a similar way. When laws are broken there are consequences, and the law applies to everyone – including people who are important or powerful.
Our Rule of Law assemblies for primary schools allow pupils to explore themes including rules, accountability, responsibility and consequences in greater depth.
What does individual liberty mean for children?
Individual liberty is about having freedom and being able to make our own choices.
Children make choices every day: what they enjoy doing, which friends they spend time with, what they think about something or which interests they want to pursue.
However, freedom also comes with responsibility. Our choices should not prevent other people from enjoying their own rights and freedoms.
Our Individual Liberty assemblies for primary schools explore the relationship between freedom, choices, rights and responsibility in ways that are accessible to primary-aged children.
What does mutual respect mean for children?
Mutual respect means treating other people with kindness and consideration, including when they are different from us or when we disagree with them.
In school, children can demonstrate mutual respect by listening, sharing, helping others, being fair and using kind words.
Understanding mutual respect helps pupils recognise that living successfully alongside other people does not require everybody to think or behave in exactly the same way.
Our Mutual Respect assemblies for primary schools provide further opportunities to explore kindness, relationships, emotions and the impact our words and actions can have on others.
What does tolerance mean for children?
Tolerance is about respecting people whose faiths, beliefs, cultures or experiences may be different from our own.
Children will meet people with different ideas and beliefs throughout their lives. Learning about tolerance helps them understand that difference is a normal and valuable part of living in a diverse society.
Tolerance does not mean that everybody has to agree. Instead, children can learn that we can have different opinions and beliefs while continuing to treat one another with fairness and respect.
Our Tolerance assemblies for primary schools explore different faiths and beliefs, acceptance and the importance of respecting difference.
Why are British Values important in primary schools?
British Values provide children with some of the foundations they need to understand their place within school, their community and wider society.
They encourage pupils to think about having a voice, following fair rules, making responsible choices, respecting other people and accepting differences.
Importantly, the five values do not exist separately from one another. They frequently overlap.
Individual liberty, for example, gives people important freedoms, while the Rule of Law helps protect those freedoms. Democracy gives people a voice, while mutual respect reminds us to listen to the voices of others. Tolerance helps us apply that respect when somebody's beliefs or experiences are different from our own.
The assembly encourages children to consider whether having shared values is important and what the country might be like without them.
This makes it a particularly useful assembly at the start of the school year, before moving on to individual British Values throughout the year.
How can children demonstrate British Values in school?
British Values are not simply ideas for children to remember. They can be demonstrated through everyday actions.
Children might show democracy by listening to different opinions and taking part in a vote. They demonstrate the Rule of Law when they understand and follow fair rules. They exercise individual liberty when making responsible choices. They show mutual respect through kindness and consideration, and tolerance when they accept and respect differences.
The assembly finishes by asking children to consider a simple question:
Which British Value will you try to show in school today?
This helps move the five British Values from abstract definitions to something pupils can actively demonstrate in their own school community.
What does the Bible teach about British Values?
For schools choosing to use the optional collective worship elements, this assembly links the five British Values to the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25–37.
The resource draws connections between the story and several of the values. The people in the story have the freedom to choose whether to help, while the Samaritan demonstrates respect and cares for somebody from a different background.
The assembly therefore provides an opportunity for children to consider how ideas such as freedom, respect, tolerance and doing what is right can be seen within a familiar Bible story.
The optional collective worship section also includes a prayer and can be personalised by schools if required.
This British Values assembly includes:
A ready-to-use PowerPoint
A clear introduction to all five British Values
Child-friendly explanations of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance
Key vocabulary
Discussion questions
Opportunities for paired discussion
A reflection activity
A final challenge for pupils
Optional collective worship slides
A Bible link to the Good Samaritan
A short prayer
A British Values poster for schools
FAQs
What are the five British Values?
The five British Values are democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. This assembly provides an introduction to all five before schools explore them individually.
Is this British Values assembly suitable for KS1 and KS2?
Yes. The assembly is designed for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Teachers can adapt the amount of explanation and discussion according to the age and prior knowledge of their pupils.
When could I use this British Values assembly?
It can be used at any point in the school year, but it is particularly useful at the beginning of a new academic year or before starting a series of assemblies focusing on the individual British Values. The assembly itself specifically suggests revisiting the five values at the start of the year.
Does this assembly cover all five British Values?
Yes. Children are introduced to democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance. The presentation allows teachers to focus particularly on the values pupils are least confident about.
Does the assembly include collective worship?
Yes. Optional collective worship slides use the Good Samaritan to make connections with several of the British Values. A prayer is also included, and the slides can be edited to suit your school.
Do I need to plan anything for this assembly?
No, all of our assemblies are ready-to-deliver. Simply download, read the plan and deliver. The slides and supporting instructions are already prepared, although we recommend reading through the presentation beforehand.
Looking for more British Values assemblies?
Continue the learning with our full range of British Values assemblies for primary schools, with ready-to-use resources exploring each of the five values in greater depth.
All assemblies include ready-to-use PowerPoint slides, discussion and reflection activities, with optional collective worship content.
Explore all British Values assemblies and make planning your next whole-school assembly quick and easy.
Assembly Resources:
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