SMSC is an integral part of the curriculum at South Craven School. We strive to incorporate spiritual, moral, social and cultural in all lessons and across the whole school environment. We are aiming to promote an inclusive community of individuals with skills beyond that of core academia and SMSC is always at the forefront of our thinking.
In addition, South Craven School offers a well-structured tutor programme, involvement in charity events, extra-curricular activities and assemblies; all contributing significantly to students SMSC development. We believe the SMSC education is inextricably linked to the core British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect for, and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs.
The DfE recently reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote 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 government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values were reiterated by the Prime Minister (2014).
We believe British values are those values of anyone living in Britain, regardless of their nationality, culture or religious beliefs.
Our school ethos reflects these values. We place great emphasis on building positive relationships in the school, amongst the students themselves and between staff and students. We strongly believe students should not merely be taught such values but that they are embedded into our academy community.
Spiritual Development
Spiritual development is about the development of a sense of identity, self-worth, personal insight, meaning and purpose. It is about the development of a pupil’s ‘spirit’. Some people may call it the development of a pupil’s ‘soul’; others as the development of a ‘personality’ or ‘character’.
Moral Development
Moral development is about the building of a framework of moral values which regulates personal behaviour. It is also about the development of pupils’ understanding of society’s shared and agreed values. It is about understanding that there are issues where there is disagreement and it is also about understanding that society’s values change. Moral development is about gaining an understanding of the range of views and the reasons for the range. It is also about developing an opinion about the different views.
Social Development
Social development is about young people working effectively with each other and participating successfully in the community as a whole. It is about the development of the skills and personal qualities necessary for living and working together. It is about functioning effectively in a multi-racial, multi-cultural society. It involves growth in knowledge and understanding of society in all its aspects. This includes understanding people as well as understanding society’s institutions, structures and characteristics, economic and political principles and organisations, roles and responsibilities ands life as a citizen in a community. It also involves the development of the inter-personal skills necessary for successful relationships.
Cultural Development
development is about the appreciation of culture and other cultures in a town, region and in the country as a whole. It is about understanding cultures represented in Europe and elsewhere in the world. It is about understanding and feeling comfortable in a variety of cultures and being able to operate in the emerging world culture of shared experiences provided by television, travel and the internet. It is about understanding that cultures are always changing and coping with change. Promoting pupils’ cultural development is intimately linked with schools’ attempts to value diversity and prevent racism.
At South Craven School we actively promote Fundamental British Values. These are incorporated into our vision and include:
Democracy
- Student Council Team
- Visits to Parliament
- Student Surveys
- Student Voice
- Involvement in staff appointments
The Rule of Law
- Taught in RE/History and Performing Arts and other subjects where relevant, looking specifically at individual rights and responsibilities in relation to this.
Individual Liberty
- Be aware of/monitor changes of behaviour which may indicate changes in beliefs
- Strong pastoral system
- Student leadership team
- Taught to support each other and stand up to discrimination
Mutual Respect
- Ethos of the school – part of school life
- Respect for individual differences
- Modelling behaviour
- Setting standards and attitudes and behaviour in school
- Awareness and tolerance of communities which are different to their own, thus preparing for life in modern Britain
Tolerance for Those of Different Faiths and Beliefs
- Assemblies – both staff and student led
- RE Lessons
- Challenging extremist attitudes
- Taught to stand up to discrimination and to understand this is protected by law
We place great emphasis on building positive relationships in school and believe that these values should not just be taught but thoroughly embedded into school life.
We actively support our students to develop into active, responsible citizens who have empathy towards others.
Additionally
- Students encouraged to give their views on issues
- Safeguarding procedures training for all staff
- Within particular subjects e.g. History, RE, Performing Arts, English and Geography – promotion of tolerance of different views, democracy, parliament and immigration, extremist behaviour and equality and diversity
- Regular curriculum review
- Opportunity to visit different places of worship
Visits from representatives from those of different faiths or none within curriculum areas and full year group assemblies.
