SMSC at St. John's
At St. John’s CE we believe children live up to their potential if they are happy, have fun, feel nurtured and grow from a foundation of strong Christian Values. We value spirituality and the holistic development of the child. We fully embrace the National Curriculum by “promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.”
Our role as educators is to guide the children in our care along the path of life. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and, within this, the promotion of fundamental British values, are at the heart of the school's work.
The following overview focuses on the spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects which are promoted in daily life at St. John’s enabling children and adults to thrive in a supportive, highly cohesive learning community.
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.
We have created an additional Spirituality overview which identifies aspects of how Spirituality is further nurtured and developed at St. John’s- this was created in a workshop with all stakeholders from St. John’s represented. (please see the spirituality section in the curriculum area of the website)
We use the Think Equal Programme in EYFS followed by the SCARF programme in years 1-6 to support PSHCE development in school and this also supports and promotes the teaching of SMSC. Weekly Picture News sessions for our KS2 children, which helps the children discuss and keep up to date with the fast-changing world around them. Helping to challenge their ideas and pre-conceptions and broaden their horizons; enabling them to deal with the modern world. Picture news focuses on world issues and British Values which we also use as a focus in our Collective Worship too.