SMSC

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Statement.

At Avenue Primary School we recognise that the personal development of children – spiritually, morally, socially and culturally (SMSC) – plays a significant role in their ability to learn and achieve. We therefore aim to provide an education that provides children with opportunities to explore and develop:

• their own value and beliefs;
• their own spiritual awareness;
• their own high standard of personal behaviour;
• a positive, caring attitude towards other people;
• an understanding of their social and cultural traditions;
• an appreciation of the diversity and richness of their cultures

As you know at Avenue Primary School, we recognise that the personal development of pupils, spiritually, morally, socially and culturally play a significant part in their ability to learn and achieve. We therefore aim to provide an education that provides children with opportunities to explore and develop their own values and beliefs, spiritual awareness, high standards of personal behaviour, a positive and caring attitude towards other people, an understanding of their social and cultural traditions and an appreciation of the diversity and richness of other cultures. This is embedded throughout all aspects of school life.

At Avenue Primary School SMSC is delivered through:

• The everyday teaching and learning that occur daily within the school day.
• The plethora of extra-curricular and non-class based opportunities, including whole school assemblies, an education at Avenue provides for pupils.
• The school’s established rules, procedures and behaviour management policies and strategies.

Within lessons

SMSC skills and understanding are developed through:

• The RE curriculum which encourages pupils to explore spiritual thinking through their own and others’ beliefs and values, and to develop an awe and wonder for the natural world.
• The Art curriculum which affords pupils the chance to explore spiritualism and reflect on their feelings and motivations, and respond visually to these.
• The English curriculum which gives pupils opportunities to consider moral codes and rules through units of work on, for examples, fables and other morality tales.
• The PSHE curriculum which promotes a spiritual, reflective approach to considering and celebrating difference and diversity between people.
• The Science curriculum which encompasses pupils’ spiritual development in acquiring a wonder and awe in the natural world.
• The History curriculum which includes important aspects of pupils acquiring and appreciating the origins and reasons for contemporary culture and society.
• All curriculum subjects during group work and peer assessment when social skills are used and developed.

Outside lessons

Avenue’s provision for SMSC learning opportunities outside of curriculum subjects permeates pupils’ lives at Avenue.

Here are just a few examples of how SMSC skills and understanding are developed through:

• The Roald Dahl ‘Scrumdiddlyumptious writing competition’ encouraged spiritual development via creativity through writing. A selection of children from year 1 were lucky winners of this nationwide competition! The stories have been uploaded for you to enjoy!
• The School Learning Council, our new tuck shop monitors, gardening club and the eco-monitors afford children personal investments in the moral codes of the school, and therefore support their moral development.
• Whole-school and class assemblies are often vehicles for the promotion of moral values and ethics (for example, anti-bullying assemblies, recycling).
• The distribution of food collected in during Harvest festival to the needy and elderly in the local community encourages moral understanding by valuing all members of society.
• Educational visits, in particular residential visits to Condover Hall, Shropshire  (Year 6) involve the development of many social skills for pupils.
• A range of musical, artistic and creative performances (such as the Year 6 production, EYFS Christmas production, brass band and orchestra, Musical Theatre Club) provide opportunities for pupils to develop social skills through team working, and also promote cultural appreciation and reflection of artistic, music and thespian talents.
• Sports teams necessitate social development by sharing effort and endeavour in order to succeed.  (Through Healthy Together - participation in competitions and inclusion festivals).
• The Outdoor Working Party have been working on environmental improvements to our small playground (including designing a wildlife garden, reflective corner, art/book shed and placing a grant application for their ideas) thereby utilising and developing their social skills to work collaboratively.
• Our International Picnic day (alternate years) celebrates social skills and cultural diversity.
• The school’s orchestra, brass band, recorder club, choir, school singing sessions and peripatetic music tuition in a variety of instruments, provides pupils with rich cultural learning opportunities through music.
• Theatre and pantomime performances within school introduce pupils to the cultural arena of the theatre.
• The school’s  Who Do You Think You Are? (alternate years) celebrates other cultures and their traditions.