SMSC at Chapel Allerton Primary

What does it mean?

SMSC stands for Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development of pupils.

The Citizenship Foundation defines spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils in relation to pupils’ ability and willingness to do the following:

• Spiritual:Explore beliefs and experience; respect values; discover oneself and the surrounding world; use imagination and creativity; reflect.
• Moral :Recognise right and wrong; understand consequences; investigate moral and ethical issues; offer reasoned views.
• Social:  Use social skills in different contexts; work well with others; resolve conflicts; understand how communities work.
• Cultural  Appreciate cultural influences; participate in culture opportunities; understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity.

How do we promote the Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development of our pupils?

At Chapel Allerton Primary, teachers promote SMSC in lots of different ways. Obvious ways are in Religious Education lessons and assemblies, but SMSC can be developed in all subjects and lots of aspects of school life. These could include:

• English, where pupils will read a range of different fiction books set in different countries and cultures.
• Maths, where pupils might look at Islamic art when learning about shape and symmetry.
• Science, where values and morals are considered, such as when teaching about evolution in Year 6.
• Geography: learning about global issues e.g. climate change.
• Relationships and Sex Education, where we make sure we talk about different attitudes and beliefs held by different faith groups and individuals.
• PSHE sessions, where we promote the social and emotional aspects of learning.
• Character Education e.g Growth Mindset/ Restorative practice which is weaved through our curriculum.
• Theme days in school e.g All are Welcome Day, Anti Bullying Week.
• Experiential learning opportunities; visitors in, trips, enrichment clubs.

SMSC development is also the golden thread that runs throughout our curriculum, it is embedded into our ethos and can be sensed in our day-to-day practices. A key part of the social development of pupils is their acceptance and engagement with British Values. We aim to send our pupils off to the next stage of their education as happy and well-rounded individuals.

How is SMSC threaded through our curriculum?