Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development (SMSC)

PSHE Statement of Intent

To develop children’s understanding of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) and provide them with a foundation of life skills across all contexts (home/school/community) and time spans (primary/secondary/later life).

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.

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How do we promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our pupils?

At St Monica's, we promote SMSC in lots of different ways. The main ways are during Religious Education lessons, Mass and assemblies where we learn about the teachings of Jesus Christ and His mission. SMSC is also developed in all subjects and lots of aspects of school life. Here are some examples:

• English - where children will read a range of different fiction books set in different countries and cultures
• Maths - where children might look at Islamic art when learning about shape and symmetry
• Science - where children learn about how to be healthy through healthy eating habits
• SRE - where we talk about the meaning of love and purposeful relationships
• SEAL sessions - where we promote the social and emotional aspects of learning

As a faith school, SMSC development is embedded into our ethos, namely our Vision and Mission Statements. It can be sensed in our day-to-day practices and many of our policies and practices reflect its fundamental importance. We value SMSC as a way to enrich our children’s experiences and their outcomes. When we were last inspected in 2022, Ofsted judged the extent of our pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development to be Outstanding.  Further information on our inspections are here

At St Monica's, we regard working with others and the social aspects of learning as important for our pupils and support The Common Good.

Further information can be found here:

citizenship foundation.org.uk