SMSC

Kilnhurst Primary School - Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) Education Policy (2020)

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At Kilnhurst Primary School we seek to help children develop the personal qualities across the curriculum and throughout school life that are vital for life in modern Britain: thoughtfulness, aspiration, honesty, respect for difference, moral principles, independence, and self-respect.

Kilnhurst Primary aims:

• To have high expectations of all so that children can become the best versions of themselves.

• To create an engaging and inspiring place to be by providing a creative, challenging, innovative, healthy, safe and thoughtful atmosphere.

• To foster a positive ethos of respect throughout the school, where all stakeholders feel secure and valued.

• To encourage all members of the school community to succeed.

• To respect and celebrate diversity in others.

• To ensure that all members of staff are given the opportunity to attend CPD as well as being encouraged to read recent research that is relevant to the vision and aspirations of the school, children and curriculum.

• To give all stakeholders opportunities to share their thoughts, desires and suggestions ensuring all feel involved in the life of the school.

SMSC is defined in the Ofsted School inspection handbook November 2019:

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The spiritual development of pupils is shown by their:

• ability to be reflective about their own beliefs (religious or otherwise) and perspective on life

• knowledge of, and respect for, different people’s faiths, feelings and values

• sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them

• use of imagination and creativity in their learning

• willingness to reflect on their experiences

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The moral development of pupils 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 the civil and criminal law of England

• understanding of the consequences of their behaviour and actions

• interest in investigating and offering reasoned views about moral and ethical issues and ability to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues.

The social development of pupils 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

• willingness to participate in a variety of communities and social settings, including by volunteering, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively

• acceptance and engagement with the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs; they develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.

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The cultural development of pupils is shown by their:

• understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and that of others

• 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

• ability to recognise, and value, the things we share in common across
  cultural, religious, ethnic and socio-economic communities

• knowledge of Britain’s democratic parliamentary system and its central role in shaping our history and values, and in continuing to develop Britain

• willingness to participate in and respond positively to artistic, musical, sporting and cultural opportunities

• interest in exploring, improving understanding of and showing respect for different faiths and cultural diversity and the extent to which they understand, accept and respect diversity. This is shown by their respect and attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities

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At Kilnhurst Primary School we share, support and strive to achieve the aims for SMSC by:

• Designing our curriculum around the main principle of SMSC- to develop children into the well-rounded, respectful, articulate and active citizens our country needs.

• Developing the skills and attitudes to enable them to participate fully and positively in democratic, modern Britain, including obeying the rule of law.

• Providing opportunities for all to succeed in every lesson regardless of their starting point.

• Ensuring all children can participate in a range of artistic, sporting and cultural events provided by school and external providers.

• Being reflective about beliefs, values and more profound aspects of human experience

• Enabling their imagination and creativity as well as develop their curiosity in their learning.

• Developing an awareness of, and respect towards, diversity in relation to, for example, gender, race, religion and belief, culture, sexual orientation, and disability.

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How our curriculum supports children’s SMSC development by:

• Personalising our curriculum based on our knowledge of the children and their needs and interests.

• Enabling the children to develop the skills and knowledge required (cultural capital) to thrive in life in modern Britain.

• Building on the foundations of our curriculum in every year group: understanding humans’ impact on the world, science and technological advances, diversity and equality, health and wellbeing, peace and conflict and how they can make contributions to the wider community.

• Engaging with the Oracy Project and Voice 21 in order to develop children’s confidence and language skills. The groupings, stem sentences, and four main focuses of Oracy are weaved throughout the whole curriculum from Maths to English to Music, Science and History. The aim is to develop articulate individuals who know their own mind and can adapt how they communicate based on the audience.

• Providing opportunities through, for example, PSHE, speaking and listening, drama, group work and educational; visits for the children to develop their emotional intelligence in order to empathise and understand the wide range and diversity of life in the country in which they live.

• Ensuring all children are supported and challenged in the ability to read. Reading also feeds into all we do as without the ability to read, many doors would remain closed to the children. The more confident they are as readers, the more confident they are as individuals so those that find reading a challenge are listened to each day and adult time is given to support them in making the necessary improvements.

• Promoting the development of the children’s vocabulary through reading, writing, speaking and listening as well as in other curriculum areas which may have their own subject- specific vocabulary.

• Through giving children specific, accurate and timely feedback on the quality and content of what they have produced. The purpose of which is to encourage and support children further to ensure they understand and accept their own errors and can independently improve their work as a result.

• Providing valuable and … educational visits that broaden children’s horizons and provide them opportunities to learn about the world, opportunities for careers for them and themselves as individuals. These may be visits to religious places of worship (Sheffield Cathedral), businesses (AMRC Sheffield), farms and zoos (Twycross Zoo, Whirlow Farm), sports facilities (English Institute of Sport) and arts and theatres (Pantomime, Grimm and Co, other local theatres).

• In addition to these Y6 visit Crucial Crew each year to learn about the emergency services, the courts and potential dangers and ways to protect themselves (peer pressure, park safety, homelessness, internet safety).

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Other opportunities in school life that enable students to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence:

• Special Mentions Assembly (parents invited)

• Use of Class Dojo to share individual and class achievements with parents.

• Residential visit to Peat Rigg

• School production- Christmas each year 

• Extra-curricular clubs

• Star Chart Awards

• Class behaviour – praising achievement and effort

• Marking and feedback recognises success and effort

• Circle times – pupil voice

• Receiving responsibilities (Junior Road Safety Officers, Anti-bullying team, EYFS lunchtime monitors from Y5)

• School Councillors

• Celebrating achievement (sporting, social and academic) both in and out of school

• Getting involved in events organised by Friends of Kilnhurst Primary that build community ties and raise funds for school.

Policy dated: March 2020

To be review: July 2021