Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development at St Joseph’s
At St Joseph’s, the SMSC curriculum is embedded into each curriculum area and is enhanced through activities such as school trips and extracurricular clubs. The aim of the SMSC curriculum is to equip each child for life in modern Britain. SCARF plays a key role in laying a solid foundation for children’s spiritual, moral, social, and cultural education and development, forming the core of the SCARF curriculum. The SCARF resources are carefully designed as a structured series of lessons that follow a spiral approach, ensuring that children’s spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development are a core part of this. These SMSC themes threads throughout the resources, providing a strong foundation for SMSC education.
Spiritual Development
Pupils’ spiritual development is shown by their:
ability to be reflective about their own beliefs and perspective on life
knowledge of, and respect for, different people’s faiths, feelings and values
sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them
use of imagination and creativity in their learning
willingness to reflect on their experiences
How do we do this?
Whole school assemblies/ Collective worship
Themed assemblies - Anti-bullying, Mental Health, Online safety etc.
R.E and PSHE curriculum - Different faiths/cultures in PSHE, UKS2 R.E - Islam and Judaism
Celebrations of events - Harvest, Easter, Christmas, Chinese New Year, Remembrance etc.
Fundraising for charity - Salvation Army, CAFOD, Macmillan etc.
Behaviour policy
Inviting members of the community into school to share their experiences and jobs (the police, fire service, a refugee, MIND etc.)
Enrichment opportunities e.g. Sign Language, Sport, Science, Bikeability
Residential Visits - Robinwood
Community links e.g. Care Home visits
St Joseph’s Got Talent
School trips and visitors which inspire awe and wonder e.g. a past pupil who became an author, visit from a refugee, poetry workshop with Ian Bland etc.
School of sanctuary award
Moral Development
Pupil’s spiritual development is shown by their:
ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong and apply this understanding to their own lives as well as recognising legal boundaries and therefore respecting the laws
follow rules and understand the consequences of their behaviour and actions
investigate moral and ethical issues and the ability to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues
have an appreciation of British Values
How do we do this?
Star of the week during celebration assemblies - encouraging an appreciation of, and respect for, the work and performance of other pupils
The school is divided into 4 teams, each team has a Captain and children are awarded points for their house to reward effort and achievement
Class dojo points
Traffic light behaviour system
Understanding of how democracy works through the school council
Eco - council (Litter picking, saving energy etc.)
Positive Role Models- Year 6 reading with Reception
Developing teamwork and fair play through PE and group games
Listening to others - talk partners
Children make decisions for the school e.g. school council
Visits from the police, dentist, fire service, paramedics etc.
Visit to Preston city council chambers and meet with local councillors and the mayor
Social Development
Pupil’s social development is shown by their:
use of a range of social skills in different contexts, for example working and socialising with other pupils, including those from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds
willingness to participate in a variety of communities and social settings, including by volunteering, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively
acceptance and engagement with the fundamental British values
How do we do this?
British values assemblies
Anti-Bullying Week
Harvest Food Bank collection
Wide range of extra-curricular clubs on offer to all
School trips and residential trips on offer to all
Opportunities to work together in different groupings and situations e.g. talk partners, group work
Encouraging teamwork and co-operation in PE, games and outdoor learning
Opportunities for pupil leadership roles: Sports, Team Captains, School Council, Eco-Council
Taking part in competitions inside and outside of school e.g. sports events
Mental Health and Family Support - Nurture provision, 1:1 anxiety workshops, drawing and talking therapeutic workshop, Bounce Forward delivered by MIND on resilience for Year 5
Playground is well-equipped to support co-operative play
Community events e.g. Carol concert, Remembrance Day service, Christmas performances, Choir singing at different places in the community etc.
Opportunities for pupil voice - Subject leaders, annual pupil survey - actions are taken and the school council lead on this
Transition days- dedicated time with new teachers to promote positive attachments
Cultural Development
Pupil’s cultural development is shown by their:
understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and that of others
understanding and appreciation of the range of different cultures in the school and further afield as an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain
ability to recognise, and value, the things we share in common across cultural, religious, ethnic and socio-economic communities
knowledge of Britain’s democratic parliamentary system and its central role in shaping our history and values, and in continuing to develop Britain
How do we do this?
Using guided reading to explore important aspects of both British heritage and other cultures, e.g. Black History Month, Chinese New Year, Spanish week, Refugee Week
Looking at the contributions to society that a diverse range of famous people have made including Black History Month figures of interest
Opportunities to hear music from different composers, cultures and genres
Opportunities to learn songs from different cultures in singing assemblies and playing a range of instruments
Learning to speak Spanish
Taking part in swimming lessons at the local swimming pool
Links with other schools e.g. pen pal letters in Spanish, transition days at high school
World Book Day - share books from around the world