Spiritual, Moral, Social, Cultural Education (SMSC)
Empowering young people for a stronger society.
– The National SMSC Quality Mark
Subject lead – Miss K Fearnley
SMSC stands for Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural education.
It helps the children to develop holistically, understanding the world around them and how to be an active member of society both now and in the future. SMSC runs throughout our whole curriculum here at St Joseph’s as it is the over-arching umbrella that encompasses personal development. The aim of this subject is to equip the children with the confidence and experiences to go out into society and have their own voices heard. It is vital that we, as parents and teachers, encourage the children to reach for every dream and inspire them to work for better in their own lives as this attitude will remain with them throughout their whole life.
Listed below there are a few ways in which our school helps to enrich pupils' knowledge and understanding of SMSC.
Intent
SMSC stands for Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural. It helps the children to develop holistically, understanding the world around them and how to be an active member of society both now and in the future. SMSC runs throughout our whole curriculum here at St Joseph’s as it is the over-arching umbrella that encompasses personal development. The aim of this subject is to equip the children with the confidence and experiences to go out into society and have their own voices heard. It is vital that we, as parents and teachers, encourage the children to reach for every dream and inspire them to work for better in their own lives as this attitude will remain with them throughout their whole life.
Listed below there are a few ways in which our school helps to enrich pupil’s knowledge and understanding of SMSC:
Spiritual
· RE is taught twice weekly.
· Collective worship happens every day in school – both by staff and children.
Other faith’s week is taught every 6 weeks.
Moral
Voting for house captains.
Charity work and fundraising to help others in need.
Our school Virtues.
Social
· Restorative practice is used to help resolve conflict and improve understanding of self and alternative viewpoints.
· Voice 21 school – Oracy is promoted to help give children their voice.
· Working with different children in different contexts – teambuilding in PE.
· Buddy system between Reception and Year 6.
Cultural
· Other faith’s week and recognising other faiths festivals.
· Health and Wellbeing council help to promote active break times.
· Sports clubs and music clubs.
· Celebrating our diversity - Bradford being the City of Culture 2025.
How is SMSC taught
In SMSC sessions, there are three core themes that will be focussed on: health and wellbeing, relationships and living in the wider world. Each Key Stage will have different objectives linking to these themes making the content accessible and appropriate for all learners. These objectives can be found on the PSHE Association website in their programme of study.
As mentioned previously, SMSC is intertwined throughout our whole curriculum here at St Joseph’s; however, each class will also have an explicit SMSC session each week in which they look at a stimulus that links to one of these objectives. These stimuli may be books, short clips, scenarios or an object. The session allows the children to explore their own thoughts and ideas in a safe space, preparing them to be active, curious and reflective participants in society. The children may also complete a written task in which they can reflect on their learning: for example, an illustration, poem, fact file or journal that can be added into the class floor book that documents the class’ personal development journey.
How is SMSC assessed:
There is no formal assessment for SMSC. To assess the children, we observe how they interact with others, including adults and children. Staff members will consider how the children: reflect on their own experiences and make decisions based on this; reflect and act upon on their own and other’s beliefs; understand rules and laws within our society; communicate with others in different contexts; explore and respect differences and appreciate our diverse community.
Overview of topics covered in this subject: tbc
What can families do to support their child:
To support your child at home, it is important that they can speak to someone about how they are feeling and what they have encountered throughout their day. These conversations allow the child to be exposed to different opinions and begin to learn how to regulate their emotions when speaking in different contexts.