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SMSC Policy

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development

Programme details

Date created - Jan 2024
Date reviewed - Jan 2024
Date approved - Jan 2024
Next review date - Jan 2027

Rationale

SMSC makes a unique and substantial contribution towards the academy’s aim to unlock potential through expert knowledge and character. This policy was developed in response to national guidance from OFSTED and refers specifically to recent guidance from OFSTED, taking into account the critical role SMSC has to play in ensuring young people know how to be safe.

Driven by our CARE principles, Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development (SMSC) is at the heart of everything we do at Co-op Academy Belle Vue. We believe in values-based education and explicitly develop a range of values with our students, including our CARE principles, the values of the Co-op Academies Trust and our students’ own personal values.

These values make up the character of our students, developing them to become culturally aware citizens of modern Britain who actively contribute to society, build healthy relationships and know how to keep themselves and others safe. This values-based approach has a positive impact on all members of our community.

SMSC development supports students to be kind, thoughtful, caring and to be able to live and learn alongside people with different beliefs, cultures and lifestyles. An integral part of SMSC is to support students to engage with British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and respect for different faiths and beliefs. At Co-op Academy Belle Vue we deliver SMSC and British values in a variety of ways.

Our aims are to enable students:

To form and manage supportive and stable relationships
To develop awareness of themselves as learners and managers of change
To anticipate the demands and challenges of adult life, including the world of work and leisure opportunities
To demonstrate their creativity enterprise and economic wellbeing
To make informed choices on their lifestyle.
To be aware of the need for good health and physical well being
To value themselves as an individual and promote their self esteem
To promote a spirit of inquiry
To have the confidence and skills to make learning a lifelong process
To communicate appropriately, effectively and safely using all forms of communication and social media
To develop healthy coping strategies to deal with demands and challenges

Legal Framework

This policy has due regard to all relevant legislation and statutory guidance including, but not limited to, the following:

The Education Act 2002
1.2 DfE (2014) ‘Promoting fundamental British values as part of SMSC in schools’

This policy operates in conjunction with the following school policies:

Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy
Online Safeguarding Policy
Behaviour Policy
Anti-bullying Policy
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Inclusion Policy
CEIAG Programme
RSE Policy
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Objectives

Vision

Spiritual Development

Our vision for spiritual development is for our students to be proud of and reflective about their own beliefs, but also actively interested in and respectful of the beliefs and faiths of others. Our students are provided with the powerful knowledge they need to have a conceptual understanding of the faiths, beliefs, feelings and values of others meaning they are able to develop meaningful relationships now and later in life.

We develop our students spiritually at Co-op Academy Belle Vue by:

Promoting our CARE principle of enjoyment - We find joy, fulfilment and pride in what we do and who we are
Delivering an exciting curriculum that explicitly teaches our students about their beliefs and the beliefs of others
Promoting a love of learning and knowledge development through our knowledge expert programme and ambition briefings

Moral Development

Our vision for moral development is for our students to understand the difference between right and wrong. Our students are developed to make the right choices at the right times for the right reasons and we teach that true character is doing this even when no one is watching. We have clear rules in the academy that all students follow for the good of the whole community. Students understand that actions have consequences and that our CARE principle of responsibility is about taking ownership of our actions and choices. We actively consider the views of others in discussions and debates.

We develop our students morally at Co-op Academy Belle Vue by:

Promoting our CARE principle of Responsibility - We take ownership of our actions and choices
Discussing moral topics through our Community Conversations at Trending Tuesday and Thoughtful Thursday
Explicitly teaching the rule of law including ‘What does the law say?’ about relevant possible issues students will face

Social Development

Our vision for social development is for our students to have the necessary skills to navigate social situations in a variety of contexts both now and later in life. Our students are given opportunities to develop the social skills required to cooperate, build relationships, and resolve conflict with others. Our students interact with people from a variety of socio-economic, cultural and religious backgrounds. Students have not only awareness but an understanding of what the fundamental British values are and what they mean; these are explicitly linked to our academy CARE principles to strengthen understanding.

We develop our students socially at Co-op Academy Belle Vue by:

Promoting our CARE principle of Cooperation - We work together to achieve a common goal.
Holding a Community Lunch every day including Community Conversations twice a week
Regularly hosting visitors, employers and speakers from a variety of backgrounds with a variety of messages
Explicitly teaching students about the social skills required to develop healthy relationships from year seven

Cultural Development

Our vision for cultural development is for our students to have an understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and that of others. Our academy is a diverse community that reflects and celebrates the diversity of modern Britain. We celebrate the truth that we are all different but equal. We believe in equality, inclusivity and diversity. We are a democratic community where there are systems and structures to ensure everyone has a voice, reflecting the democratic systems in modern Britain. We are a community that promotes not only academic but also creative and sporting opportunities for all.

We develop our students culturally at Co-op Academy Belle Vue by:

Promoting our CARE principle of Community - We value the group, we are all different but equal
Providing opportunities in the curriculum for students to share their beliefs with others including during Community conversations at lunch
Enabling students to enjoy and appreciate a variety of physical and creative endeavours through our electives programme

Promoting fundamental British values

We take the following actions to promote fundamental British values:
Explicit teaching of the British values and their definitions through CARE curriculum and assembly time.
Explicit connection of British values to the academy CARE principles.
Including in suitable parts of the curriculum age-appropriate material on the strengths, advantages, and disadvantages of democracy, and how democracy and the law works in Britain compared to other countries.
Teaching students a broad and balanced international history.
Representing the cultures of all our students within the curriculum.
Teaching a wide range of English and non-English literature.
Commemorating World War 1 and 2.
Demonstrating the historical significance of the Commonwealth.
A comprehensive and democratic programme for student leadership.
Regular student voice with findings, responses and actions communicated.
Using teaching resources from a wide variety of sources to help students learn about and understand a range of faiths.
Discussing and referencing the British Values during community conversation.

By promoting fundamental British values through SMSC education, we will provide students with:

An understanding of how they can influence decision making through the democratic process.
An appreciation that living under the rule of law protects them and is essential for their wellbeing and safety.
An understanding that there is a separation of power between the executive and the judiciary, and while some public bodies, for example the police, can be held to account by parliament, others maintain independence, for example, the court system.
An understanding that their freedom to choose and hold faiths and beliefs is protected by law.
An acceptance that people of different faiths and beliefs to themselves (and those with no faiths or beliefs) should be accepted and tolerated and should not be subject to prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour.
An understanding of the importance of identifying and combating discrimination.
An understanding that individual liberty gives everyone the right to express themselves however they choose as long as it does not break the law.