Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development 

What is SMSC?

SMSC stands for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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 and have an appreciation of British Values.

Social: Investigate and 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.

At Hampsthwaite Primary School, we strive to create a learning environment which promotes respect, diversity, self-awareness and one which equips all of our pupils with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values they will need to succeed in their future lives.

Our curriculum provides a wide range of opportunities that encourage pupils to work together, learn together, develop positive relationships, and build a sense of self-belief and a respect of the world around them. We nurture a respect of British Values. Activities are planned that require pupils to reflect and empathise with others, and allow them to develop the confidence to share their opinions and viewpoints.

British Values

At Hampsthwaite Primary School, we take our responsibility to prepare children for life in modern Britain very seriously. 

Please see our British Values Statement below: 

What does it mean to be British?

When we think about being British there are many themes and words which are associated with it such as; fish and chips, democracy, afternoon tea, weather, NHS, Sunday roast and politeness.

Promoting Fundamental British Values
In accordance with the DfE we aim to actively promote British values, to ensure children are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Children are encouraged to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect and tolerance, and to understand that, whilst people may hold different views about what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, everyone living in Britain is subject to British law. The fundamental British values are:

Democracy

Rule of Law

Individual Liberty

Mutual Respect

Tolerance (of those of different faiths and beliefs).

Our Learning

Every child at Hampsthwaite has the opportunity to explore and talk about these values and think about what they mean to us. We teach our children the importance of living by these values and playing their role as active citizens in a modern Britain.

Here are a few examples of how our learning in school, promotes British Values.

Democracy

The importance of having a voice or opinion been heard and the ability to make choices in a democratic manner, are consistently reinforced at Hampsthwaite

• Class Rules/Charters
  • At the beginning of every school year, the children are involved in the creation of their own class rules, choosing and voting for those that they feel are important and fair for all to adopt.

• House Captain Elections
  • At the beginning of the year, two children from each House (Fountains, Bolton, Rievaulx and Jervaulx) in Y6 are democratically voted for by their peers, to represent them as their House Captains.

• Wellbeing Ambassadors 
  • These positions were introduced in September 2020. Two children from each class (Y2-Y6) were voted for by their class teachers and peers. They were chosen due to their skills in being able to support their peers through difficult times. They are seen as our rainbows during a storm. 

• School Development Ambassadors
  • In September 2021 we introduced these roles in KS2. This group of children gives pupils a voice when discussing a range of topics. We involve children from Years 3 to Year 6 in our School Development and provide them with opportunities to work alongside the Senior Leadership Team. The forums meet regularly and will look at our development areas in detail, from auditing resources and reviewing learning areas to reporting to governors and leading curriculum worship times. They also gather the views of their peers and feedback to the group. 

Rule of Law

The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school or the country, are consistently reinforced at Hampsthwaite.

• Crucial Crew
  • Each year, the Year 6 children attend Crucial Crew, which is a multi-agency event supported by: the Fire Service, the Police, the Ambulance Service, Her Majesty’s Prison Service, Victim Support, Drugs awareness, School Nurses and the National Trust. The aim is to raise awareness of safety issues that children may face, and the laws that are in place to protect us.  Each agency leads interactive scenarios, where the children have the opportunity to gain ‘hands on’ experience.  For example, they learn about what to do in case of a fire, how to make an emergency call and perform basic first aid as well as learning about the consequences when laws are broken.

Individual Liberty

Children at Hampsthwaite are actively encouraged to make informed choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment in which to do so.

• PSHE lessons
  • It is important that children understand that they have rights and how to exercise them safely.  As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young children and this learning is supported through our programme of PSHE lessons throughout the school.

• Themed Days and Weeks
  • At Hampsthwaite, we regularly hold themed weeks or days such as Anti-bullying week, Safer Internet Day and Diversity week.  Although these values are consistently taught, the themed weeks are opportunities to focus learning and develop children’s understanding of informed choices.

• Clubs
  • We are very fortunate that there are a variety of clubs that children can choose to attend.  These are run both during lunchtime and after school and include sports, arts and crafts, board games and homework clubs.

Mutual Respect

Part of our behaviour policy has revolved around the school vision and values. Respect is very important. All staff around the school promote respect for others and this is reiterated through our classroom and learning rules, as well as our behaviour policy.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

This is achieved through enhancing pupils understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity. Collective worship and discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in RE and PSHE. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school.