SMSC

SMSC is an area of the curriculum that focuses on the non-academic development of students. Among other things, it facilitates their understanding and appreciation of different cultures and helps them to deal with moral conundrums. SMSC is essential for children’s and young people’s individual development, as well as the development of society as a whole, and it is our role to actively promote decent values so that opinions or behaviours in school that are contrary to fundamental British values can be challenged.

A summary of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of students is shown below, and you can also click the link at the bottom of the page to view documents that show where specific values are taught across our curriculum.

The spiritual development of students is shown by:

• Their ability to be reflective about their own beliefs (religious or otherwise) and perspective on life
• Their knowledge of and respect for different people’s faiths, feelings and values
• Their sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them
• Their use of imagination and creativity in their learning
• Their willingness to reflect on their experiences

The moral development of students is shown by:

• Their ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong and to readily apply this understanding in their own lives, recognise legal boundaries and, in so doing, respect civil and criminal law
• Their understanding of the consequences of their behaviour and actions
• Their interest in investigating and offering reasoned views about moral and ethical issues and their ability to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues

The moral development of students is shown by:

• Their use of a range of social skills in different contexts, for example working and socialising with other pupils, including those from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds
• Their willingness to participate in a variety of communities and social settings, including through volunteering, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively
• Their acceptance of and engagement with the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs, having developed and demonstrated skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain

The cultural development of students is shown by:

• Their understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and that of others
• Their understanding and appreciation of the range of different cultures in the school and further afield as an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain
• Their ability to recognise and value the things we share in common across
• cultural, religious, ethnic and socio-economic communities
• Their knowledge of the UK’s democratic parliamentary system and its central role both in shaping our history and values and in continuing to develop the UK
• Their willingness to participate in and respond positively to artistic, musical, sporting and cultural opportunities
• Their interest in exploring and improving their understanding of different faiths and cultural diversity, their respect for and acceptance of these different faiths and cultural diversity, and their respect for and attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups locally, nationally and internationally

> SMSC Curriculum Documents