Yew Tree Primary School
Written by:
Staff Reviewed:
SPIRITUAL, MORAL,
SOCIAL AND
CULTURAL (SMSC)
AND BRITISH
VALUES POLICY
Governors Reviewed:
Head Teacher:
Chair of Governors:
Date for Review:
To be reviewed by:
SMSC Policy
February 2016 (Issue No. 3)
Yew Tree Primary School
SMSC Policy
Yew Tree Primary School takes an active approach in the development of spiritual, moral, social and cultural
aspects of our pupils’ education.
The policy is reinforced by many of our other policies, particularly those concerned with:
 Behaviour.
 Equal Opportunities.
 Personal Social and Health Education and Citizenship.
 Collective Worship.
 Equality.
 RE.
 Safeguarding.
Dissemination
 Headteacher / Deputy Headteacher to ensure all contents of this policy are included during induction of
all new staff.
 Where appropriate, staff must sign to say that they have read and understand the contents of this policy.
 All staff, volunteers and visitors must be made aware that the policy is kept on the school network and
that paper copies are available in the KS2 Office.
 A copy may be available on the school website.
Responsibilities
 Headteacher to review as per the review cycle.
 Governor: Learning and assessment – Fran Kerr.
 Governor: Senior Leadership Team member in charge of learning and assessment – Suzanne Lomax
Working Together to Achieve our Best
Page 1
SMSC Policy
February 2016 (Issue No. 3)
Yew Tree Primary School
SMSC Policy
Introduction
At Yew Tree Primary School we recognise that the personal development of children, spiritually, morally, socially
and culturally (SMSC), plays a significant part in their ability to learn and achieve. We therefore aim to provide
an education that provides children with opportunities to explore and develop:
 Their own values and beliefs.
 Their own spiritual awareness.
 Their own high standards of personal behaviour.
 A positive, caring attitude towards other people.
 An understanding of their social and cultural traditions.
 An appreciation of the diversity and richness of their cultures.
SMSC plays a significant part in ability to learn and to achieve. All curriculum areas have a contribution to make
to the child’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Christian values, principles and spirituality will be
explored in the curriculum, especially in RE and Collective Worship. The integrity and spirituality of other faith
backgrounds will be respected and explored. The diversity of spiritual traditions will be recognised, and children
will be given access to alternative views. All adults will model and promote expected behaviour, treating all
people as valuable individuals and showing respect for children and their families. Children should learn to
differentiate between right and wrong in as far as their actions affect other people. They will be encouraged to
value themselves and others.
The aims of this policy


At Yew Tree Primary School we strive to create a learning environment which promotes respect, diversity
and self-awareness and equips all of our pupils with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values they will
need to succeed in their future lives.
The curriculum provides a wide range of artistic, sporting and cultural opportunities that encourage pupils
to work together and use imagination in their learning. Activities are planned that require pupils to reflect
and empathize with others as well as giving them the confidence to provide their opinions and develop
their own view points.
Working Together to Achieve our Best
Page 2
SMSC Policy
February 2016 (Issue No. 3)
SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT
Definition
Spiritual development focuses on an individual’s own personal beliefs and values and their resulting behaviours.
Through spiritual development, children are able to understand their own feelings and emotions and this enables
them to reflect and to learn.
Our learning environment and curriculum
Curriculum opportunities enable pupils to:
 Be curious and to express feelings of delight and wonder, (scientific investigations, chemical reactions,
new life, the global landscape).
 Empathise and consider the viewpoints of others, (debates, drama activities, discussing feelings and
empathising with characters in familiar stories).
 Consider how a belief can change people’s lifestyles, (R.E, investigating communities and faiths, historical
case studies).
 Discuss what they think they have achieved and what they need to do to be successful in the future,
(self-assessment, target setting activities).
 Be equipped for life in modern Britain reflecting British Values.
 Be safe. All staff are trained and understand their responsibility regarding the Prevent Duty.
MORAL DEVELOPMENT
Definition
Moral development means exploring, understanding and recognising shared values and considering the issues
of right and wrong.
Our learning environment and curriculum
The classroom environment and curriculum promote moral development through:
 Codes of conduct and class rules, agreed with children and displayed in the classroom and throughout
the school.
 Clear and consistent rewards and sanctions that children understand and believe to be fair.
 Class and phase assemblies that discuss moral values and cite expectations.
 Activities that enable pupils to give opinions and show their values.
 Discussing the choices made by the pupils and others and the resulting outcomes, (character studies,
studies of historical figures).
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Definition
Social development involves learners working effectively together and participating successfully in the school
community as a whole. During a pupil’s social development they gain interpersonal skills that allow them to form
successful relationships and to become a positive team member.
Our learning environment and curriculum
At Yew Tree Primary School social skills are developed through:
 Modelling of positive social behaviour by all staff.
 Empowering learning displays.
 After school clubs.
 Sporting activities.
 Buddy and team games at play times and lunch times.
 Turn taking and team building activities.
 Pair and small group work within the classroom.
Working Together to Achieve our Best
Page 3
SMSC Policy

February 2016 (Issue No. 3)
Working with others across the local community (local care homes, cluster schools).
CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
Definition
Cultural development enables learner’s to develop an understanding of their own culture and of other cultures
locally, nationally and internationally. It also means learning to feel comfortable in a variety of cultures and
valuing cultural diversity.
Our learning environment and curriculum
Children are introduced to a regional and global perspective in life through:
 Stories from different cultures.
 First hand experiences through local visits, theatre, art and artists.
 Visitors from the local and international community.
 Being part of National and International fund raising events.
 Studies of a different lifestyle including different food, dress, festivals and places of worship.
Promoting British Values at Yew Tree Primary
The DfE have reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to
promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect
and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”
All staff are trained and are aware of their responsibilities with regard to the Prevent Duty.
The government set out its definition of British values. At Yew Tree these values are reinforced regularly and
in the following ways:
Democracy:
Democracy is an important part of school life. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through
our Junior Leadership Team and Pupil voice interviews. Our school “Good to be green” behaviour policy involves
rewards which the pupils vote on as a class group or key stage.
The Rule of Law:
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. Pupils are responsible for generating their class rules. Visits from authorities such as the Police; Fire
Service; etc. are regular parts of our calendar and help reinforce this message.
Individual Liberty:
Within school, pupils 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 safety, through
of provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and
exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advise how to exercise these safely, for example through our
safety week and PSHE lessons. Whether it be through choice of challenge, of how they record, of participation
in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices.
Mutual Respect:
Part of our school ethos and behaviour policy has revolved around our ‘Respect’ agenda, and pupils have been
part of discussions and assemblies related to what this means and how it is shown. Posters around the school
promote respect for others and this is reiterated through our classroom and learning rules, as well as our
behaviour policy. We also display the Stonewall posters “Different families, same love” to encourage mutual
respect for every kind of family group. Discreet lessons covering this topic take place throughout the year.
Working Together to Achieve our Best
Page 4
SMSC Policy
February 2016 (Issue No. 3)
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. Assemblies and discussions involving prejudices and
prejudice-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in RE and PSHE. The school teaches
French. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning
within classes and the school.
Radicalisation
From the 1st July 2015 all schools are subject to a duty under section 26 of the Counter Terrorism and
Security Act 2015 in the exercise of their functions to have ‘due regard to the need to prevent people from
being drawn into terrorism’ This is known as the Prevent Duty and in line with departmental advice from the
Department of Education Yew Tree Primary will take guidance from this. Whilst it is not necessary for schools’
to have distinct policies on implementing the Prevent Duty it is important to show that as a school we have
clear procedures in place for protecting children at risk of radicalisation and that general safeguarding
principles still apply and will be followed as set out in the relevant statutory guidance, Working Together to
Safeguard Children 2015 and Keeping Children Safe in Education 2015. As part of our school’s wider
safeguarding duties it is essential that staff are able to identify children who may be vulnerable to
radicalisation and that they know what to do when they are identified. The Prevent Duty is not intended to
stop pupils debating controversial issues, at Yew Tree Primary we will provide a safe place in which our pupils
and staff can understand the risks associated with terrorism and develop the knowledge and skills to be able
to challenge extremist arguments and as a school we can also build our pupil’s resilience to radicalisation by
promoting fundamental British values and enabling our pupils to challenge extremist views. For further
information please refer to the safeguarding policy.
ASSESSMENT, MONITORING AND REVIEW
Assessment for learning
Our teachers assess the children’s work in SMSC both by making informal judgements, as they observe them
during lessons and extra-curricular activities and through speaking to the children about how they feel and what
they have learned.
Monitoring and review
The planning and coordination of SMSC are the responsibility of the SMSC subject leader, who also:
 Supports colleagues in their teaching, by keeping informed about current developments in the subject,
and by providing a strategic lead and direction for SMSC.
 Gives the headteacher a termly summary report in which they evaluate the strengths and weaknesses
in the subject, and indicate areas for further improvement.
 Provides evidence of the school’s work in this area for the evidence box.
 Speaks to the children about different elements of SMSC and use this to inform future planning,
development and training.
 Uses specially allocated, regular management time to review planning of SMSC across the curriculum,
evidence of the children’s work and to observe elements of SMSC across the school.
The quality of teaching and learning in SMSC is monitored and evaluated by the SLT as part of the school’s
agreed cycle of lesson observations.
Working Together to Achieve our Best
Page 5