Spiritual, Moral, Social & Cultural Education

Our school promotes high standards in pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Clear principles and values are laid out in our Vision Statement, which underpins all policies, schemes of work and daily practices.

We aim to promote relationships that are open and consistent and based on mutual respect. The code of practice followed by our school enhances personal qualities that include honesty, co-operation and understanding of others.

Our school provides high standards in pupils’ social and cultural development through the curriculum and everyday life experiences. There are many opportunities for pupils to expand their interests and experiences as well as their social and cultural awareness. Our aim is for pupils to converse confidently with each other with mutual respect. Both the content of the curriculum and styles of teaching and learning encourage an increasingly mature and sophisticated response to personal experience and social issues. Links with the wider community are growing and contribute to pupils’ social and cultural development.

We deliver our spiritual, moral, social and cultural [SMSC] guidance through the ethos of the school via:

• Vision Statement
• Golden Rules
• School Curriculum
• Policies
• Behaviour Policy
• Extra curricular provision
• Communication with all stakeholders
• Collective Worship Policy and Assemblies
• Pastoral provision
• Treehouse Club for wrap around care
• Environment
• Forest School
• Playtimes and Lunchtimes

Spiritual development - promotion through other aspects of school life. Extra curricular activities contribute to spiritual development in a number of ways:

• In sporting activities, through pupils’ awareness and celebration of their own bodies and their potential and the rewards of achieving more.
• Choir and singing clubs give pupils an opportunity for musical enrichment.
• Our Language of the Month programme promotes cultural enrichment.
• Collective worship makes a major contribution to pupils’ spiritual development. Music is sometimes played as the pupils enter so that a calm, thoughtful atmosphere prevails. Weekly themes and daily interpretations of the theme are delivered. Pupils experience a range of content and approaches including prayer and reflection, singing hymns and songs, thinking and questioning, music and drama. 

Moral Development – promotion through other aspects of school life. The golden rules promote discussion about the need to be kind and helpful, to be tolerant and understanding, to show respect for the property of others and to be aware of how people’s actions can affect others. They include the behaviour in the playground as well as the school and community at large. Stories and discussions about moral issues occur regularly through collective worship.

Relationships are particularly important in helping to promote moral development. Staff make efforts to lead by example, for instance by always trying to be courteous to the children e.g. apologising when they have made a mistake and explaining the reasons if they are displeased. When pupils misbehave it is made clear that teachers disapprove of their behaviour. There is a consensus that when staff relationships are good, this will spill over to the children. There are clear expectations that children will be polite and helpful to each other and that they will show the same respect to parents and other support staff that they show to teachers. Moral development is also encouraged through extra curricular activities – for instance, in musical activities like the school choir and the participation in termly performances by each year group across the academic year.

Social development – promotion through other areas of school life. Our positive behaviour policy and golden rules encourage pupils to take responsibility for their own behaviour, and to co-operate and help others. The school’s strong emphasis on relationships shows how much the social development of education is valued and that good relationships are the glue which binds together all members of the school community. Giving pupils increasing amounts of responsibility as School councillors, Playground Ambassadors and helping younger pupils at lunchtime provide opportunities for social development. On day trips and residential trips they have to take a measure of responsibility for themselves and for their possessions, and to learn to behave appropriately in public places.

Cultural development – promotion through other aspects of school life. Our vision statement and golden rules include an emphasis on respect for others, including the cultures of others where appropriate. Extra curricular activities such art and craft groups and choir, provide opportunities for cultural enrichment. The music and stories used in collective worship are of a wide range and also contribute to pupils’ cultural development. During the year, the children are visited by a number of groups from the wider community including theatre groups. Drama reflects a range of activities from many cultures and Language of the Month displays in the school also promote cultural interest.

Bringing out the Best in Everyone