Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development (SMSC)
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development
What will children learn?
Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds, Healthy Futures
SMSC refers to the Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development of a child. At Radwinter CofE Primary School, we aim to prepare our pupils to take a full role in society as confident individuals and good citizens.
SMSC is at the heart of our curriculum and therefore embedded across all subjects as well as interwoven through our school ethos and daily life. With this whole school, inclusive approach, our vision is to help each individual child develop and flourish and to equip them with the necessary skills to make positive contributions to society both now and in the future.
We aim to provide a safe and nurturing environment that provides pupils with opportunities to explore and develop their own values and beliefs, spiritual awareness, high standards of personal behaviour, a positive, caring attitude towards other people, an understanding of their social and cultural traditions and an appreciation of the diversity and richness of a wide variety of cultures.
How will children be taught?
SMSC plays a significant part in a child’s holistic development and in their ability to learn and achieve. At Radwinter CofE Primary School, SMSC is implemented by
- Interweaving it into the daily life of our school, our values and our ethos and ensuring it is reflected in all we do.
- Our staff modelling the importance of being a reflective citizen. They also model and promote expected behaviour following our culture of restorative practice, treating all people as unique and valuable individuals and showing respect for pupils and their families.
- Encouraging pupils to participate fully in school life and in extra curricular activities (e.g. sporting activities/whole school play etc)
- Recognising that all of our curriculum areas have a contribution to make to a child’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and carefully planning opportunities which allow pupils the opportunity to explore, question, discover and challenge across the whole curriculum.
- Allowing children to take on roles and responsibilities e.g. buddies, sports ambassadors, play leaders etc and empowering them by giving them a voice e.g. through the pupil voice, eco and worship councils.
- School and classroom rules reflect, reiterate, promote and reward positive behaviour and provide opportunities to celebrate pupils’ work and achievements. The celebration and reward system to manage behaviour is consistent across the school (stickers/house points/visit to HT/positive behaviour slip).
- Ensuring SMSC is also embedded within our collective worship sessions. The themes allow for exploration of different faiths, beliefs and practices as well as focussing on values for life.
- Enhancing our pupils’ experiences with visitors and off-timetable lessons/events (including trips and visits) which complement different curriculum areas.
- Recording examples of SMSC on Tapestry using the handle #SMSC
What will the outcomes for children be?
Well promoted SMSC can contribute to raising academic standards and improving children’s life chances. Through consistent and high-quality teaching of SMSC our children will:
- Grow into considerate, moral adults that are self-reliant and resilient, leading healthy and happy lives.
- Be self-motivated, independent and resilient by developing inquiry-based skills that allow them to make mistakes and learn from them.
- Know that that their views are valued and, in turn, value the views of others.
- Be confident to reflect and challenge previously held views.
- Have high levels of self-esteem and self-confidence.
- Distinguish right from wrong, accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative
- Understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of others in our school, our local community and the wider world.
- Show respect for other people and different cultural traditions whilst being proud of their own culture and background.
