Statement supporting Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural Development at Brettenham

We place great importance on the development of SMSC at Brettenham. We are a very diverse community held together by the strong vision, aims and values which are embedded in our school.

Spiritual

• We want our children to be reflective about their own beliefs, religious or otherwise, which inform their views on life and their interest in and respect for different people’s faiths, feelings and values. We teach RE as a discrete subject across the whole school and all children take part in the lessons
• We encourage our children to have a sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them
• We want our children to be able to use their imagination and creativity in their learning and be willing to reflect on their experiences

Moral

• Our children will learn to recognise the difference between right and wrong and apply this understanding in their own lives. They will be able to recognise boundaries and, in so doing, respect rules within school and beyond
• The children are consistently helped in school to understand the consequences of their behaviour and actions through the behaviour system which they clearly understand
• We encourage the children to be interested in investigating and offering reasoned views about moral and ethical issues, so that they are able to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues. ‘Talk Time’ is explicitly timetabled for this

Social

• We want our children to be able to use a range of social skills in different contexts, for example working and socialising with other pupils, including those from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds
• Our children are encouraged to participate in a variety of community and social settings, including volunteering, co-operating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively, e.g. through the Buddy System
• The ethos of the school supports the children to understand and accept the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. Our focus on our vision and values ensures that the children develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain

Cultural

• Our curriculum enables our children to gain an understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and that of others.
• They understand and appreciate the range of different cultures within school and further afield as an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain
• Britain’s democratic heritage is embedded in our school culture and reference is made to this as appropriate, focusing on our rights and responsibilities as citizens within our community
• Our school culture provides a whole range of different opportunities for all children and they are expected to participate in and respond positively to artistic, musical, sporting and cultural opportunities
• The many different cultures and backgrounds found within the school enable children to explore and improve their understanding of different faiths, showing respect for each other’s faiths and celebrating the cultural diversity which is a real strength of the school. They learn to understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity, as shown by their tolerance and attitudes towards different groups of people in the local, national and global communities