SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural)

Intent: Introduction, Vision and Philosophy

Our curriculum intent at Christ Church Primary is rooted from our vision which feeds into every aspect of our school life to meet the varied needs of our school community.

The development of spiritual, moral, social, cultural and British Values is a key aspect of our school curriculum and is threaded through our school ethos, policies, daily life and medium term planning.

It is an expectation that all staff, in all subjects, can and should make a contribution to the Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development of pupils through the curriculum and through the use of appropriate teaching and learning strategies e.g. medium term planning, discussion, reflection, pupil participation, circle time and also through their own conduct. (See medium term planning, SMSC evidence and overview).

General Aims for Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development

We aim to:

  • Promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and in society.
  • Prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.
  • Enable pupils to distinguish right from wrong, to respect the civil and criminal law of England and to appreciate the rule of law is essential for well-being and safety.
  • Enable pupils to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in Britain and to respect and support participation in the democratic process.
  • Promote respect and consideration for differences in gender, race, religion.
  • Help each pupil achieve their full potential across all areas of the curriculum.
  • Develop the individual strengths of all pupils and to help and provide support in areas for development.
  • Inspire and stimulate the pupils in order to foster a love of learning and enquiry, to reason rationally and to apply themselves to tasks and physical skills.
  • Help our pupils towards independent learning and to equip them with all life skills in order for them to take their place in a fast changing society.
  • Ensure there is continuity and progression in skills, knowledge and understanding in all areas of the curriculum.
  • Develop respect for religious and moral values and understanding of other races, religions and ways of life while challenging opinions, stereotyping or behaviours in school that are contrary to British values.
  • Help the pupils understand the world in which they live.
  • Develop a sense of responsibility, consideration for others, self-respect and self confidence.
  • Promote good relationships between home, school and the local and wider communities.

Implementation

See our SMSC overview and evidencing across the curriculum:

Our SMSC provision and impact can be seen on our SMSC Grid You will need to use the password 'ccps-guest' to access this information.

Here are some examples of how we embed SMSC across our school:

Spiritual Development

Pupils’ spiritual development is shown by their:

  • Ability to be reflective about their own beliefs, religious or otherwise, that inform their perspective on life and their interest in 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.

Our Forest classroom allows our children the time and space to develop skills, interests and understanding through practical hands on experiences. We had a fantastic open day and the Lord Mayor came to officially open our Forest School classroom.


Children making dens in our Forest School Classroom.		  
Year 1 end their topic on pirates by performing the Pirates tea party for the school.

Our Year 6 Reflective Area.		  
Spirituality in action - Baptism.

Moral Development

Pupils’ moral development is shown by their:

  • Ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong, readily apply this understanding in their own lives and in so doing so 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 being able to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues.

To support our children with their behaviour, we have three diamond rules which are followed by all children across school. Our three diamond rules are to:

  • Show good manners at all times.
  • Care for everything and everyone.
  • Follow instructions with thought and care.

As a school, we reward our children who demonstrate our diamond rules and the schools ethos with a 'Star Pupil' award. This is a fantastic incentive where the achievements of individual children are celebrated.

As a school, we follow a house point system which are based around the Christian values. They are Charity, Faith, Patience and Hope. At the end of the term, the Faith team and School Council decide on what the reward should be for the winning house


Our reward system.		  
Our reward system.

Social Development

Pupils’ 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 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; the pupils develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.

Voting for their school council representative.		  
The School Council notice board.

In the Autumn term, Year 6, pupils have undertaken a fascinating topic about World War II and the impact that the military had in fighting for the British Empire. They also learnt about life on the Home Front, from the bombs of the Blitz to the preparations for invasion. They also had a World War II victory party in which the children dressed up as children from that era and made food linked in with the theme.


Remembrance Day.		  
Year 6 World War II Topic Board.

A visit from the fire service to EYFS during our community week.		  
Collecting food for Spark Hill Food Bank.

Cultural Development

Pupils’ cultural development 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 within school and further afield as an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain;
  • 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, 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, respect and celebrate diversity, as shown by their tolerance and attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities.

Children shared the story of Eid ul Adha and sang the Eid Takbirs.		  
Year 5 and 6 in their Eid clothes performing for our Eid Celebration for our Christ Church Family.

The staff dress in their Diwali clothes.		  
Nechells 1 - 9 Christ Church - a friendly match.

Further SMSC information can be seen throughout the website.