What is SMSC and why is it important?

It is the Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development of the children in our school. Orchard Primary School’s values and Keys To Building A Better Me are very much reflected in its spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) education provision. Effective SMSC helps everyone in school - adults and children alike - to think about who they are and the kind of world they aspire to create.

This is not a separate subject that is taught explicitly but an aspect of learning that is present in lessons and behaviour in school. Some lessons lend themselves more easily to direct SMSC and British Values development such as PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) and RE (Religious Education). At Orchard, we teach PSHE through the SCARF programme. SCARF’s values of Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience and Friendship, which underpin all its content, align strongly with the key principles of SMSC. We also aim to develop SMSC through assemblies, behaviour expectations and our attitudes in school.

British Values

As articulated in the Government’s ‘Prevent’ strategy of 2011 we have a focus on the core British values which are: Democracy, The Rule of Law, Individual Liberty, Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those of different faiths and belief.

Through our SMSC provision we:

• Enable students to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence.
• Enable students to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England.
• Encourage students to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and to understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality of the school and to society more widely.
• Enable students to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England.
• Further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling students to acquire an appreciation of and respect their own and other cultures.
• Encourage respect for other people.
• Encourage respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic processes, including respect on the basis on which the law is made and applied in England.

This underpins our ethos to developing SMSC in school. We ensure opportunities for developing the British Values through our SMSC. To see examples that relate to the British Values specifically please see the document below (British Value Development Opportunities)

How do we ensure there are opportunities for SMSC development?

At Orchard, 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. To see examples that relate to SMSC specifically see the document below (SMSC Development Opportunities)

Links with the Wider Community

• Visitors are welcomed into our school
• Links with local churches
• The school supports the work of a variety of charities
• 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

How do we record and evidence our SMSC development in school?

Showing the impact of SMSC

We use pupil interviews to see the impact on the children’s development. We also look at their books which they can use during PSHE and RE lessons. We also give questionnaires to staff about how it impacts on the children’s development to give us the whole picture from different points of view.

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.