SMSC

SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development)

Kemball School has a strong commitment to the personal and social development of all pupils.  The school vision and values, put together by all the staff, supports spiritual, moral, social and cultural characteristics in all pupils. 

 What is SMSC – Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development?

Here is a summary to explain SMSC – it is personalised for all our students.

 Spiritual development is when we:

Explore beliefs and experience; respect faiths, feelings and values; enjoy learning about oneself, others and the surrounding world; use imagination and creativity; reflect.

 Moral development is when we:

Recognise right and wrong; respect the law; understand consequences; investigate moral and ethical issues; offer reasoned views.

 Social development is when we:

Use a range of social skills; participate in the local community; appreciate diverse viewpoints; participate, volunteer and cooperate; resolve conflict; engage with the ‘British values’ of democracy, the rule of law, liberty, respect and tolerance.

 Cultural development is when we:

Appreciate cultural influences; appreciate the role of Britain’s parliamentary system; participate in culture opportunities; understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity.

 Intent

At Kemball, it is the intention that SMSC is supported across the school through our British values, inclusive social opportunities for all pupils, PSHE, RE, MHWB days, school council, ECO council and cultural studies, as well as multiple opportunities across the curriculum to experience educational visits, special events and healthy competition both within and outside of the school environment.

 At Kemball, we recognise that SMSC forms an important part of preparing our pupils for adulthood and life outside of school and as such we are committed to ensuring that our pupils are given every opportunity to develop their understanding of the world around them by exploring the local community, developing their understanding of the British values of democracy, rule of law, mutual respect, and individual liberty, and by providing opportunities to explore important questions, morality, and diverse cultures through our curriculum.

 Implementation

SMSC is incorporated across the curriculum and links to this can be seen across the school. The spiritual aspect of SMSC links closely with the British values of Individual Liberty, tolerance of different faiths and beliefs, and mutual respect. This is supported across all pathways in a range of ways including:

  • Explicit school and Trust values that develop a sense of knowledge and respect for others.
  • A broad and balanced RE curriculum that allows pupils to explore both religious and non-religious world views and develop an understanding of the culture and faith or themselves and others.
  • A PSHE curriculum that encourages our children to develop their awareness of their place in the world and the impact of their actions upon both themselves and others as well as preparing them with the skills that they need for the outside world
  • Trips to places of worship or visits from local people within the community to enrich both the curriculum and experiences of the children.
  • Daily class worship adapted to the needs of the pathway exploring world news, national and international celebrations, class-based reflection on their day and sensory exploration of festivals.
  • Weekly assemblies adapted for each of the pathways looking at a range of religious and non-religious celebrations, PSHE and mental health and wellbeing. This is also an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our pupils through WOW moments, weekly certificates and Star of the Week.
  • Opportunities for quiet reflection in appropriate areas of school such as the sensory garden or through aromatherapy/TACPAC sessions
  • Half termly Mental Health and Wellbeing afternoons with a focus upon how we can look after our mental health by giving, taking notice and staying healthy.
  • A curriculum that encourages and supports outdoor education through the use of our outdoor areas, Forest school and outdoor based activities such as planted. This gives the children respect for the world around them and helps them to learn about the environment and how we can look after it.

 

The moral aspect of SMSC supports all areas of the British Values and is supported in Kemball across all pathways through: 

  • Our school behaviour policy and code of conduct incorporating the use of the Zones of regulation, fix-it strategies, sensory diet and individual interventions and support strategies to ensure that our children understand what is expected of them and with support, are able to regulate their emotional, behavioural and sensory responses. This also allows our children to feel safe and calm in an environment that has a strong code of conduct.
  • Celebration assemblies, Class Dojos, certificates, WOW moments, Star of the Week and individual rewards that celebrate good choices, kind actions and achievements of the pupils.
  • An appropriately differentiated RE curriculum that explores moral stories and influential figures from a range of religious and non-religious backgrounds, supporting the pupils in applying their understanding of right and wrong to the outside world.
  • In multiple ways across the curriculum, particularly within PSHE and the themes of self-awareness, managing feelings and the world we live in. We also explore the importance of moral decisions and law in the community and this is explored in our community trips and topic exploration of the world that we live and people who help us in the community. e.g. Police. This is covered across all pathways in an appropriately differentiated manner.
  • Communication- we encourage our pupils to have a voice and make their needs and opinions known no matter their communicative abilities. AAC and a Total Communication approach form an important part of the curriculum and everyday life at Kemball and we do everything we can to build the communicative skills of pupils so that everyone feels heard and listened to.
  • School council, ECO committee and E-safety committees are held regularly and have a representative from each class including those who are non-verbal. Circle times also offer opportunities for pupils to share their views along with class worship and choice time. This allows pupils to feel involved in decision-making and supports them in learning how to respect and listen to others, even when they have different viewpoints.
  • Charitable projects- As a school, we regularly donate to the local food bank both for Harvest and throughout the year with pupils talking these themselves during community walks. We also raise money annually for Children in Need, have taken part in relief efforts for Ukraine and raised money for the Salvation Army through the ‘Recycle for Michael’ scheme. In addition, we regularly fundraise for the school

 

The social aspect of SMSC supports all aspects of British values and is supported across all pathways through:

  • School council, E-safety council and ECO committee which allows pupils the chance to have their voices heard.
  • Sports tournaments and workshops
  • A comprehensive PSHE and RSE curriculum that supports the pupils in understanding the world around them and how to work with others
  • Life skills and community walks to allow the pupils to apply their skills both inside and outside of the school.
  • Mental health and Wellbeing afternoons which support the children in developing the understanding of their own and others’ mental health and how to support and look after themselves and others.
  • Extra-curricular activities including pathway after school clubs and residential trips for Duke of Edinburgh and Progression pathway residential.
  • Participation in Musical events both inside and outside of school such as the Nativity, summer performance, choir and Lichfield Choir visit.
  • Opportunities to develop an understanding of Democracy through elections of school council members, auditions for key roles in performances, voting during choice time, story time, rewards, etc and class made school charters.
  • Pupil voice is developed through a variety of means (see also moral education above).
  • Careers and work experience opportunities for the Functional pupils.
  • Opportunities for team work and working together as a school to come together for school wide events such as World book, Day, RE days and annual fairs. The pupils also work together to complete projects in Duke of Edinburgh, life skills, Young Enterprise and in the cafes that we have in school.

 The cultural aspect of SMSC supports the pupils understanding of Individual Liberty, Mutual respect and Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. This is supported and seen in Kemball through the following areas:

  • Visits across all pathways to various places of culture and significance including theatres, museums, historical places, places of worship, libraries, etc.
  • Workshops in school for cultural studies and for enrichments including musical workshops, dance and storytelling etc.
  • Opportunities to engage in an arts and music curriculum that encourages the children to explore a range of different musical and cultural styles. History curriculum which explores history around the world, in the UK and especially for our pupils, their personal history incorporating exploration of family, friends and home.
  • RE curriculum that looks at a range of different cultures and religions with opportunities to revisit topics and consolidate knowledge over time.
  • Books from different cultures incorporated into the English texts and available to explore in the library for all pupils.
  • Cultural studies week looking at a different country each year including the geography, history, arts and religion of that country.

 Impact

  Our pupils have access to a wide range of spiritual, moral, social and cultural experiences on a regular basis and this can be seen across the curriculum and in the school.  Alternative communication methods are used well across the school in order to assure that all pupils are able to make their voices heard in a way that is appropriate for them. As a result of this, pupil’s feel listened to and trust staff to understand their wants and needs.

We prepare our pupils for life outside of school and try hard to help every child achieve their best. When our pupils move on from us in Year 11 or age 19 for our post-16 provision, our aim is that they are able to build on their successes, which includes having the tools to share their wants, feelings and views as well as being able to self-regulate and understand their emotions. Our pupils have lots of opportunities to explore the community and develop the essential skills needed to prepare them life beyond our school.

SMSC Provision Audit