In Primary Education we believe that children should be given the opportunity to explore the issue of diversity and understand Britain as a multi-cultural society.  Providing a safe learning environment in which children can raise controversial questions and concerns without fear of reprimand or ridicule and explore boundaries of what's acceptable will engender an open attitude to multi cultural and race issues.  This is based on the principle that people should treat everyone with respect whatever their race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, special need or disability.

Democracy is key to the children's understanding of others and their rights in society.  Each year school council members are elected by the children in each of the Key stage 2 classes and two year 2 students to represent Key stage 1.  The council meet regularly to discuss any proposals or agendas.  At Upperby Primary School, we are very aware of others who may not have as much as us and therefore we encourage children to come up with worthwhile charities that we can support, such as Sport Relief, Marie Curie Cancer Care, the Eden Valley Hospice and Comic Relief.

The importance of laws (whether they are those that govern the class, the school, or the country) are consistently reinforced as Upperby Primary School.  Pupils are taught from an early age the rule of the school. Our school follows a clear behaviour policy for rewards and sanctions.  These are communicated clearly to our children in the classroom environment. Older children are given key responsibilities such as head boy and head girl house captains, vice captains and prefects.  Children in each class are given a variety of responsibilities and are encouraged to take care of their environment and to be independent. These responsibilities are chosen by the children at the start of the year.  The Year 5/6 children are given opportunity to be taught safer cycling in the Spring term.  The school also benefits from visits from the police, fire service and representatives from the rail network.

At Upperby Primary School pupils are encouraged to make choices and take risks, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment.  In Reception and Year 1, children are encouraged to be independent through the continuous provision areas.  They learn through a play-based curriculum and the child's interests are at the heart of the curriculum.  Through the PSHCE curriculum children are educated about making informed choices, lifestyles and about their rights and responsibilities.  Regular circle time gives children a chance to discuss issues as they arise and to reinforce the values of the school.  All KS2 classes are given the opportunity to go on a residential trip.  This experience is massively beneficial in developing their independent skills needed for life.

Mutual Respect is at the heart of Upperby Primary School. Our pupils learn respect for each other through the PSHCE curriculum and our 'You Can Do It' theme.  The playground is zoned during playtime to promote respect for children's different needs, i.e. quiet area, running area, sports area.  In class, all children have talking partners and take part in peer reviews of each other's work.  Children, when capable, identify what they have done well and then their next steps to improve.

Upperby Primary School does not have a diverse ethnic population so we feel it is important to celebrate this through assemblies and the RE curriculum. We follow a broadly Christian religious education curriculum that represents the main religion of our school, however we recognise the main religious festivals throughout the year and provide opportunities for pupils to study the main religious faiths of our community.