SMSC & British Values

Key Documentation:

SMSC Map
British Values Map
SMSC & British Values Policy
SMSC Gold Award Certificate

The Philosophy of SMSC at Reigate Priory School: 

At Reigate Priory School, our vision is to ensure that all of our pupils are equipped with the skills and tools to become citizens of the world who lead the way on tolerance and understanding of others, stand up for what they believe is right, have the confidence to be true to themselves and never lose the desire to keep learning.

We ensure that our curriculum is a vehicle for SMSC education. SMSC stands for spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. Please see our SMSC grids attached which outline how we integrate SMSC into our learning across the school.

Subject Leader - Mrs L. Fry 

 

Aim: 

The following explores each aspect of SMSC and outlines how pupils may demonstrate their development in each area.

Spiritual:

Exploring beliefs and experience; respecting values; discovering oneself and the surrounding world; using imagination and creativity; reflecting.

Our children's spiritual development is shown by their:

• beliefs, religious or otherwise, which inform their perspective on life and their interest in and respect for different people’s feelings and values
• sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them, including the intangible
• use of imagination and creativity in their learning
• willingness to reflect on their experiences.

Moral:

Recognising right and wrong; understanding consequences; investigating moral and ethical issues; offering reasoned views.

Our children's moral development is shown by their:

• ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong and their readiness to apply this understanding in their own lives
• understanding of the consequences of their actions
• interest in investigating, and offering reasoned views about, moral and ethical issues.

Social:

Using social skills in different contexts; working well with others; resolving conflicts; understanding how communities work.

Our children's social development is shown by their:

• use of a range of social skills in different contexts, including working and socialising with pupils from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds
• willingness to participate in a variety of social settings, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively
• interest in, and understanding of, the way communities and societies function at a variety of levels.

Cultural:

Appreciating cultural influences; participating in culture opportunities; understanding, accepting, respecting and celebrating diversity.

Our children's cultural development is shown by their:

• understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage
• willingness to participate in, and respond to, for example, artistic, musical, sporting, mathematical, technological, scientific and cultural opportunities
• interest in exploring, understanding of, and respect for cultural diversity and the extent to which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity, as shown by their attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities.

British Values

At Reigate Priory School we actively take opportunities to promote British values and feel this is embedded through our weekly assemblies and interwoven in our enriching curriculum. British Values comes through our curriculum throughout the school. Please see the attached grids for more detail as to how this is done at Reigate Priory.

 

We explore the areas of British Values as part of our curriculum:

• Democracy
• Rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual respect
• Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

Democracy:

Children have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council and vote in the elections of the pupil council. Class rules are devised by and agreed to by every member of a class. Pupils are also given opportunities to put themselves forward for other responsibilities within the school and are therefore developed as leaders in different capacities. Please see our Pupil Leadership page.

The Importance of Laws:

The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies. Our value based system teaches our children the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from those in authority in the wider community are regular parts of our calendar and help to reinforce this message.

Individual Liberty:

Within school, children are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young pupils to make choices confidently and safely. Our children are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised on how to exercise these safely. This is explored, for example, through our E-Safety curriculum and PSHE lessons. Throughout the academic year, our children are offered the opportunity to participate in numerous extra-curricular clubs, workshops and events which allow them to exercise their individual choice.

Mutual Respect:

Part of our whole school ethos and behaviour policy has revolved around our 12 C Values of Caring, Courageous, Cooperation, Communication, Creativity, Courage, Connection, Challenge, Curiosity, Commitment, Concentration, Confidence and Composure. These are central to every aspect of the children’s learning and allow us to talk about how we learn, foster excellent behaviour and give the children lifelong skills. Our children follow these values in every aspect of school life and have previously been part of discussions and assemblies related to what these values mean and how they are shown. The whole school follows this values led education approach and parents are encouraged to reinforce the importance of the C Values at home.

Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs:

At Reigate Priory, we value the diverse ethnic backgrounds of all pupils and families and, where possible, members of a variety of faiths are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within their classes and the whole school. Assemblies and discussions involving prejudices are followed up and supported by learning in RE and PSHE. Our RE and PSHE curriculum have designated topic areas to focus on and celebrate similarities and differences in other faiths and beliefs. Assemblies, theme weeks and workshops offer our children enriched experiences to deepen their understanding, tolerance and knowledge of our culturally diverse society.

Assemblies:

British values are central to our assemblies through the teaching of the School’s Values and through highlighting and commemorating key events past and present. These include Remembrance Day which teaches the children about the impact that the two World wars had on Britain and the role that Britain played. Children are also given the opportunity to purchase poppies and the whole school takes part in a minute’s silence to show their respect for the thousands that lost their lives during these times.

Throughout the school year, the children learn about and support different charities and take part in events such as Comic Relief, Children in Need and support Love Works through our Harvest Assembly. We feel this is an integral part of the children understanding how they can be well-rounded citizens and help society.