Introduction to Our Approach and Vision of SMSC
Our SMSC (spiritual, moral, cultural and social) curriculum can be described as our “hidden curriculum” and is a crucial part of our approach to supporting children who have experienced trauma and view the world and society as a threat to their being. It encompasses all the things that we do in school to build upon children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding, thoughts and experiences.
It is not taught as a standalone lesson, instead it runs through our Religious Celebration Assemblies and British value assemblies, Physical Education, PSHE lessons and daily wellbeing support which our children access on a daily basis.
SMSC is one of our key means of creating well rounded individuals, who can contribute towards a modern Britain. Our vision for SMSC is to raise the aspirations of our children, by nurturing a passion for learning, enriching their learning experiences, providing the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in adult life, and enabling them to secure outcomes, which exceed their expectations.
The explicit teaching of British Values, and its modelling by adults and school structures, helps underpin and embed our SMSC curriculum. We teach children that Britain has its own Core Values, that bind us all together as a country, and that make all who live here special and that these are the same values we build our school upon.
Personal Development
‘In a world that you can be anything – be kind’
Personal Development is at the heart of all we do at Woodside Park School. We highly value the integral skills taught through our curriculum and school values that give our children the aspiration and commitment to become respectful citizens. We aim to educate the whole child so they can they can thrive in a changing world and can aspire to be the ‘leaders of tomorrow’.
Our aim is that Personal Development is an integral part of our curriculum. Through our school values, PSHE lessons, RE lessons and assemblies children will learn how to be respectful, responsible citizens who respect and understand British Values and diversity within their community. We aim for them to conduct themselves politely and respectfully at all times, reflecting on their own behaviour and co-operating with others across our whole school community. We ensure that our children feel safe and settled in school and teach them how to understand their own emotions and who to go if they need help to manage their feelings and actions. Independence is nurtured from our Nursery class upwards ensuring children gain important life skills to look after their wellbeing, physical and mental health, safety (including online safety) and nutrition.
Children’s moral, social and cultural development is taught in a variety of ways through our curriculum. To enhance this further we provide a wide variety of special visitors, theme days and visits to places of interest with the aim to widen children’s cultural capital.
They will learn to build resilience to ensure they can challenge themselves to reach their full potential in life. We encourage them to aspire to great things and understand how they are in control of their life, and that with hard work and dedication much can be achieved. We ensure that our children feel safe and settled in school and teach them how understand their own emotions and who to go if they need help to manage their feelings and actions.
Monitoring of SMSC and British Values
Our Deputy Head Karin Compton on a half-termly basis, monitors and assesses the deliverance of our SMSC, PSHE and British Values through pupil interviews, learning environment walks, planning monitoring and SMSC book monitoring. This is also done in partnership with the SLT in school.
Introduction to Spiritual Development
Spiritual education enables children to explore their own beliefs and religion, as well as experiencing and understanding other faiths and values. Children should engage in learning about their own lives and interests, as well as developing their respect for other faiths and ways of life.
Opportunities for Spiritual Education:
- Religious Celebration Assemblies – Key celebrations of the larger World Religions (Christmas, Eid, Remembrance Day, Harvest, Diwali)
- Child led Projects to understand some of the cultures and religions in our local area
- Key celebrations of the larger World Religions (Christmas, Eid, Remembrance Day, Harvest, Diwali)
- Regular opportunities to share personal experiences- Show and Tell, Circle Time
- Positive behaviour management to develop self-worth
- Mental health awareness
- PSHE curriculum (jigsaw)
- Nurture class to develop positive attitudes
- Visitors of different faiths
- Posters and prompts around school to develop our shared spiritual ethos
- Singing Assembly
- Celebration Assembly
- Visits to local church, mosque, synagogue and Hindu temple
- Supporting Charities and events e.g Hospice, Children in Need
- Community links e.g. Care Home visits
Introduction to Moral Education
Moral education enables our children to recognise and understand what is right and wrong and apply this knowledge into their own lives. Children should be able to follow rules and understand the natural consequences of their behaviour and actions, leading to an awareness and respect for the laws in society. Through moral education, children should investigate, reflect upon, and question moral and ethical issues, as well as appreciating the viewpoints of others.
Opportunities for Moral Education:
- PSHE lesson (Jigsaw)
- Transparent behaviour policy that the children engage and reflect with.
- School Council
- Pupil Parliament
- Class/individual rewards systems
- Positive Role Models- Year 6 Buddies/Helpers
- Global Issues- Assemblies
- Whole School Rules/Ethos- respecting others and the environment
- Developing empathy through the curriculum – ie PE lessons working as a team, history lessons
- Respecting other religions, cultures, faiths, sexuality, ages, genders through our curriculum, including PSHE
- Developing teamwork and fair play through PE and group games
- Listening to others- Circle Time, Talking Partners
- Children make decisions for the school e.g. menu, outdoor equipment
- School Council
- Anti-Bullying Alliance
- Charity days and fundraising e.g. Children in Need, Red Nose Day, local Hospice
- Team games, Sports Day, Sports Clubs
- Visits from the police, fire, school nurse, paramedics
- UK Parliament visits and Town Hall Visits
Introduction to Social Education
Social Education enables children to cooperate and work effectively with others in school, in the wider community and in society as a whole. Children should have the qualities to engage positively with others from different ethnic, religious and socio-economic backgrounds. We encourage children to have the desire and skills to become a successful citizen, through developing understanding for others, conflict resolution and by volunteering in the community. Embedding the fundamental British Values ensures that children are prepared for life in modern Britain through understanding ‘Democracy’, ‘The Rule of Law’, ‘Individual Liberty’, ‘Mutual Respect’ and ‘Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs’.
Opportunities for Social Education:
- Encourage peer working across the curriculum, Talk Partners
- Team games in PE
- Whole school celebrations
- Extra- curricular and enrichment activities
- Promoting good role models around school
- Anti- Bullying Ambassador
- School Council
- Pupil Parliament
- Staff modelling positive behaviour and respect for others
- Our PSHE curriculum and Circle Time
- Year 6 Buddies and Monitors
- Children in Need, Red Nose Day and other charity events
- Caring in the community- visits to the Community Centre
- Carol singing to the elderly
- Parents’ Days and drop-in sessions
Introduction to Cultural Education
We will have children from culturally diverse backgrounds, mirroring the local community we are situated in (Penge, SE London). Cultural education enables our children to understand and experience their own and other cultures. Through exploring the cultures in Britain and those within the local area in which they live, children will gain the knowledge and understanding of the history, cultures and values that have shaped Britain today. This equips children with the appreciation and respect for others in their journey into a diverse society. Children will be encouraged to enjoy and experience the celebration of other faiths, learning tolerance for the religions in the community in which they live.
Opportunities for Cultural Education:
- Our RE celebration assemblies with first-hand experiences and artefacts
- Black History month
- Visitors from those of different faiths e.g. Judaism, Islam
- Multi-faith displays
- Church, synagogue, temple Visits
- Visits from the local clergy and religious leaders.
- Stories from other cultures
- Harvest Celebrations- assembly and songs
- Nativity- Christmas Productions
- Carol Singing
- Easter Celebrations and Assemblies
- Mother’s Day
- Multi- cultural resources, topics and festivals
- MFL- where appropriate
- Music from other cultures
Promoting British Values
At Woodside Park School, we actively promote British Values through our curriculum and everyday school life. These values are embedded in our topics, assemblies, and the way we support pupils to develop positive relationships, respect, and responsibility.
We help pupils to understand and experience:
- Democracy – through opportunities to share opinions, make choices, and participate in school decision-making such as voting for class ideas or contributing to the School Council.
- Rule of law – by learning why rules exist, how they keep people safe, and the importance of fairness and responsibility in our school community.
- Individual liberty – by encouraging pupils to make choices, express themselves safely, and develop independence in a supportive environment.
- Mutual respect and tolerance – by celebrating diversity, learning about different cultures and beliefs, and promoting kindness, understanding, and inclusion.
Our approach is designed to be accessible for all pupils, with learning experiences tailored to individual needs and strengths. British Values are taught through meaningful, real-life contexts, helping pupils to develop a strong sense of belonging and citizenship within school and the wider community.
Opportunities for Teaching British Values:
- Pupil parliament
- Visit to the Houses of Parliament
- Visit to a court of law (with prior arrangement and court permission)
- Pupil discussions
- Reward system
- Natural consequences to rules that are broken
- Regular visits from the Police, Fire Service and local spiritual leaders
- Anti-bullying week
- Assemblies
- Visit to places of worship
- School displays
- Multi-cultural celebration days – food, clothes, music and art