Sarum St Paul's CofE (VA) Primary School

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development (SMSC)

What is SMSC?

It is the Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development of the children in our school. This is not a separate subject that is taught explicitly but an aspect of learning that should be present in lessons and behaviour in school. Some lessons lend themselves more easily to direct SMSC development such as PSHE, Philosophy for Children and RE. We also aim to develop SMSC through worship, behaviour expectations and our attitudes in school.

How do we ensure there are opportunities for SMSC development?

 At Sarum St. Paul’s we recognise that the personal development of children, spiritually, morally, socially and culturally, plays a significant part in their ability to learn and achieve. We want to give each child the opportunity to explore social and moral issue; develop a sense of social and moral responsibility and promote the British Values. We therefore aim to provide an education that provides children with opportunities to explore and develop:

• Their own values and beliefs
• Their own spiritual awareness
• Their own high standards of personal behaviour
• Their team and collaborative skills
• A positive, caring attitude towards other people
• An understanding of their social and cultural traditions
• An understanding of democratic processes and the law in England
• An appreciation and acceptance of the diversity and richness of their cultures
• Their opportunities to experience other cultures
• Their ability to celebrate each other’s successes
• Their access to a range of educational visits

 Our opportunities for SMSC development are continuously changing and evolving. Click here to see how we promote SMSC at our school.

 Links with the Wider Community

•  Visitors are welcomed into our school
• Strong relationship with our local church is fostered
• Visits to places of worship across the city, will be arranged to support the understanding of different cultures
• The school supports the work of a local charity as well as national charities e.g. Alabare, Children in Need, Macmillan, Red Nose Day
• The development of a strong home-school agreement is regarded as very important, enabling parents and teachers to work in an effective partnership to support the children
• Children will be taught to appreciate and take responsibility for their local environment
• Liaison with local secondary schools to support the primary curriculum and effective transition, takes place regularly
• The choir work collaboratively with other local schools to supports and bless the community e.g. visiting a local nursing home, performing at a central venu

Ofsted Definitions of SMSC

 Spiritual development is shown by their:

• beliefs, religious or otherwise, which inform their perspective on life and their interest in and respect for different people’s feelings and values
• sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them, including the intangible
• use of imagination and creativity in their learning
• willingness to reflect on their experiences.

Moral development is shown by their:

• ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong and their readiness to apply this understanding in their own lives
• understanding of the consequences of their actions
• interest in investigating, and offering reasoned views about, moral and ethical issues.

Social development is shown by their:

• use of a range of social skills in different contexts, including working and socialising with pupils from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds
• willingness to participate in a variety of social settings, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively
• interest in, and understanding of, the way communities and societies function at a variety of levels.

Cultural development is shown by their:

• understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage
• willingness to participate in, and respond to, for example, artistic, musical, sporting, mathematical, technological, scientific and cultural opportunities
• interest in exploring, understanding of, and respect for cultural diversity and the extent to which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity, as shown by their attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities. 

Click here to read our Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Policy.

British Values

 In June 2014, the Prime Minister emphasised the important role that British values can play in education. Furthermore, how well a school promotes such values is an aspect of Ofsted’s inspection process.

Although this is something which is developing in schools, it is not something new at Sarum St Paul's. British values are promoted in much of what we do, during school collective worships, Religious Education, Philosophy and Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) sessions. The values are also integral to our vision and values.

Department for Education’s five-part definition of British values:

• democracy
• the rule of law
• individual liberty
• mutual respect
• tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

Click here to see how we promote the British values at our school.