SMSC stands for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. All schools in England must show how well their pupils develop in SMSC.

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

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

Social: investigate moral issues; appreciate diverse viewpoints; participate, volunteer and cooperate; resolve conflict; engage with the fundamental values of British democracy.

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

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

At Blackhall Primary, teachers promote SMSC in lots of different ways. Obvious ways are in Religious Education and assemblies, but SMSC can be developed in all subjects and lots of aspects of school life. These could include:

• English, where children will read a range of different fiction books set in different countries and culture
• PHSE sessions where we promote the social and emotional aspects of learning
• SMSC development is also embedded into our ethos and school displays and can be sensed in our day-to-day practices and many of our policies and practices.  A key part of the social development of pupils is their acceptance and engagement with British Values.

Statutory context of SMSC for schools

We value SMSC as a way to enrich our children’s experiences and their outcomes.  The National Curriculum sets out that three of these aspects, alongside mental and physical development, should be promoted in schools:

“Every state-funded school must offer a curriculum which is balanced and broadly
based1 and which:

•  promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils
  at the school and of society, and
• prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and
  experiences of later life.”

National Curriculum, 2014

SMSC in the Early Years

SMSC development is now referenced throughout Ofsted’s School Inspection Handbook. In the Early Years, we have a thoughtful and wide-ranging promotion of pupils’ Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development and their physical well-being.

Spiritual Development

• Encouraging awe and wonder for environment – e.g. lying looking at clouds in the sky
• Encouraging appreciation of nature – e.g. spider webs, watching ladybirds
• Encouraging children to reflect on their experiences, individually and in group time
• Supporting development of imagination and creativity through stories and open-ended creative provision
• Planning for and offering magical moments
• Acknowledgement of importance of enjoyment to well-being through having fun e.g. jumping in puddles
• Encouraging awe and wonder for objects – e.g. curiosity cube
• Encouraging strong key person relationships – influencing quality of life through these interactions

Moral Development

• Through questionnaires encourage community involvement in thinking about values to promote e.g. being honest
• Promote values through stories at large group time
• Discuss values and feelings through use of the “Box of Feelings” programme
• Reward system rewarding attitudes e.g. being kind
• Staff modelling of values e.g. being friendly
• Supporting children’s following of rules e.g. “no running in the classroom”
• The Restorative Approach is used consistently by all staff in the nursery
• Use of conflict resolution techniques to encourage children’s understanding of feelings of others

Social Development

• Use of keyperson groups to encourage children to form friendships
• Staff support social skills and development throughout play and learning experiences
• Snack times and lunch club– supporting table manners
• Teaching self-care habits – e.g. blowing noses, covering mouth when coughing
• Support inclusion of children within play and challenge any stereo typing e.g. “boys can’t come in the home corner”
• Support transition process into nursery and into school
• Support development of respectful behaviour e.g. listening to others, not invading other children’s space
• Sharing a wide range of quality inclusive texts/stories and social stories with children

Cultural Development

• Appreciation of cultures of others as it arises from home backgrounds of children within nursery and within the books shared
• “News from Home” sheets encourage families to tell us about their own cultural celebrations and customs and these are shared
• Encourage bi-lingual children to use their home language, as well as English and discuss importance of this with parents
• Challenge stereo –typical language and ensure all types of families feel accepted and respected.
• Quality inclusive resources purchased and provided in the environment
• Understanding and feeling comfortable in a variety of cultures