Cockton Hill Junior School

SMSC stands for Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development. It can be seen across school activities and draws together many of the areas of personal development.

SMSC at Cockton Hill Junior School:

The spiritual development of pupils is shown by their:

ability to be reflective about their own beliefs (religious or otherwise) and perspective on life
knowledge of, and respect for, different people’s faiths, feelings and values
sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them
use of imagination and creativity in their learning
willingness to reflect on their experiences

The moral development of pupils is shown by their:

ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong and to readily apply this understanding in their own lives, recognise legal boundaries and, in so doing, respect the civil and criminal law of England
understanding of the consequences of their behaviour and actions
interest in investigating and offering reasoned views about moral and ethical issues and ability to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues.

The social development of pupils is shown by their:

use of 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
willingness to participate in a variety of communities and social settings, including by volunteering, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively
acceptance and engagement with the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs; they develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.

The cultural development of pupils is shown by their:

understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and that of others
understanding and appreciation of the range of different cultures in the school and further afield as an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain
ability to recognise, and value, the things we share in common across
cultural, religious, ethnic and socio-economic communities
knowledge of Britain’s democratic parliamentary system and its central role in shaping our history and values, and in continuing to develop Britain
willingness to participate in and respond positively to artistic, musical, sporting and cultural opportunities
interest in exploring, improving understanding of and showing respect for different faiths and cultural diversity and the extent to which they understand, accept and respect diversity. This is shown by their respect and attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities

At CHJS, we 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 through our provision of SMSC.

Use of restorative questioning will help children to reflect on decisions made and the impact of actions on themselves and others.

Throughout school life, we actively plan opportunities to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and the fundamental British Values are an integral part of this. We use a range of resources and promote awareness days in our weekly ‘We Believe’ time and assemblies. We develop continuous provision to nurture the children in our school and offer many opportunities to promote safe discussion based around SMSC qualities and British Values. Here are some examples of how SMSC is developed across the curriculum - both subjects and wider curriculum.

	Spiritual	Moral	Social	Cultural
English	Children reflect on the beliefs of characters Range of representation through texts explored linked to protected characteristics Develop experience of the world through reading and writing Reading cafes held with parents/carers	Questioning based on the actions of characters	Reading cafes - working with peers and adults Author visits - engaging with new people and asking them questions	Library visits Exploring different cultures through chosen texts, e.g. Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx, Rumaysa
Maths	Finding shapes and patterns in maths linking to creativity Reflect on experiences through reasoning Maths workshops held with parents/cares	Reasoning and logical thinking supports understanding of others' views	Maths workshops - working with peers and adults Collaborative learning across maths lessons, 'we do' section of learning	Learning how the number system changed, e.g. Roman numerals Maths structure is similar across the world
Science	Space topic explores origins of the universe Space topic - how Gallileo and Copernicus were persecuted because of their beliefs Sense of enjoyment and fascination developed about the world	Learning about safety - how this can impact on others, e.g. sun safety Y6 breeding cows - ethical issues Looking after the environment - Y4 habitat topic, Y6 harmful substances	Collaborative learning with paired and group work	Explore a range of scientists from different cultures Visit to a museum - Life Centre
History	Historical beliefs are compared in other time periods, e.g. arrival of Christianity	Explore how beliefs about women and children have changed over time, e.g. children in jobs, women during WWII	Explore how British Values have changed over time - democracy, rule of law and individual liberty Collaborative learning with paired and group work	Explore how cultural differences have shapes Britain, e.g. the 'Romanisation' of Britain Visits out of school - Binchester Roman Fort, Beamish, Shildon Railway Museum, Auckland Castle, Mining Art Gallery
Geography	Sense of enjoyment and fascination developed about the world	Consequence of actions - climate change	Collaborative learning with paired and group work Engage with members of the community through fieldwork, e.g. Bishop Auckland town visit in Y3, supermarket visit Y6	Develop understanding of the local area and the wider world
RE	Learning about the beliefs of others and their respect for that Visits to places of worship and Faith Museum	Respecting the differences in others knowing that the rights and wrongs of others impact on lives and consequences in place	Openness to other religions and abstract concepts Encouraging children to build views moving from family/community views Visit to Eden House Care Home Y5	Learning about different religions and cultures Respecting British Values Visits to places of worship and Faith Museum
Art	Develop imagination and creativity with their own artistic interpretations Reflect on how art makes them feel Y4 Spanish Art Gallery visit	Understand the viewpoints of others when considering how art makes them feel	Collaborative learning with paired and group work	Respond to different pieces of art Y4 Spanish Art Gallery visit
DT	Consider the user for their product, e.g. playgrounds and pop-up books Develop imagination and creativity through the design process Reflect on their own work by evaluating it	Risk assessment developed with children to use tools safely, e.g. saws/glue guns	Collaborative learning with paired and group work Visit to Bishop Auckland College - communicate with others out of the school environment	Participate in artistic opportunities
Music	Develop imagination and creativity with their own interpretation in music Identify what we like and dislike about music	Appreciate opinions of others and what they like and dislike Understand how lyrics can convey meaning	Collaborative learning with paired and group work - composing music together Singing for a purpose, e.g. Christmas events	Awareness of music from around the world, e.g. reggae
French	Celebration of Easter (Mardi Gras)		Use a range of social skills to work with others through partner and group work	Learn about other cultures (French speaking countries) Explore similarities and differences between UK and France, e.g. school life Study Henri Matisse (art) and sport
PE	Reflect on their experiences in team games and dance/gymnastics activities to improve performance	Know the consequences of behaviour and actions Explore rules of sports games and follow these	Teamwork skills and resolving conflict OAA - development of communication Active Week	Y4 - Indian Dance Explore British and international athletes
Computing	Online safety - using beliefs to guide them in being safe online Respects views and opinions of others online Tolerating being kind online Know the consequences of the law throughout online actions	Understand the importance of how to use computers safely Consequences of what may be written online	Collaborative learning with paired and group work Develop positive attitudes that allow them to engage with others online	Positive towards the work of others in Computing and that we respect differences in this Recognise that is acceptable to show preference in Computing
We Believe	Reflect on their own beliefs such as their own identity	Recognise right from wrong - consent, know what happens when you break the law Understand consequences of behaviour and actions - what happens when you break the law, restorative approach used in school Know how to keep bodies safe - first aid training, sun safety, oral hygiene	Collaborative learning with paired and group work Communication development through class discussions Mutual respect for those of other faiths	Know about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Know about the role of charities and local councils in the community Contribute to society through recycling and considering the environment Know about the parliamentary system and discuss with our local MP Visit from a local councillor
OPAL	Creativity is developed through loose parts areas and craft Enjoyment and fascination developed through the wide range of OPAL activities	Play charter has been developed by pupils to show moral decision and consequences for behaviour	Children have the opportunity to work with a wider group of peers Communication skills are developed Pupils are encouraged to resolve conflict effectively using the restorative approach	Understand differences between peers through play Opportunities for artistic, musical and sporting opportunities
Extra-curricular/beyond the classroom	Sense of enjoyment and fascination developed through range of after-school clubs, e.g. yoga, hockey, quiz	Explore rules of sports games and follow these	Breakfast club - communication with wider group of peers Democracy - children vote for clubs and activities they would like	Participate within many different groups