ethos
positive education for the future
How Spiritual, Moral, Social
and Cultural (SMSC)
education supports the
ethically based school
climate
Marguerite Heath, Director of the Go-Givers Programme
at the Citizenship Foundation discusses the value of SMSC
education, in our curriculum, and explores how it impacts
on children’s learning
SMSC education, underpinned by a good
grasp of the significance of the values we
choose to live by, individually and
collectively, enriches the experiences of
children as they evolve along their learning
journey. It ensures that our children are well
equipped to make a positive transition into
adulthood, armed with elevating mind-sets,
skills and knowledge.
It helps children understand how significant
issues in the world today can shape the
society they live in, and impinge on their
place in it. It provides them with role models,
space to reflect on their particular talents and
values, and opportunities to set goals for the
future. We would all wish to see our children
grow up to be confident and assertive, and
achieve economic well-being, but it is equally
important to cultivate in them concern to act
fairly, to inspire compassion linked to
social and moral responsibility, and give
them deeper meaning to their lives.
OFSTED- inspected SMSC
Development
On receipt of their Ofsted report, school staff
8
and governors are likely to turn their
attention immediately to the table displaying
the grades for pupils’ outcomes.
The last entry on the table shows ‘The extent
of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural
development’. Symbolically, to my mind, it is
in the right position.
I see SMSC education as the bedrock of all
learning. The grading a school receives in this
category is an important indication of how
the school is contextualising and putting into
practice the achievements which have been
judged higher up the table. It is an indication
of the school’s positive impact on attitudes,
social behaviour and personal development
as well as academic attainment.
Whole-School Approach SMSC
Education
So what are the qualities the inspectors are
seeking, and where will they find them?
Whilst the most explicit opportunities to
promote children’s SMSC development
are found in citizenship; personal, social
and health education (PSHE); and religious
education, an important contribution can
also be made outside curriculum time, via
school ethos building, positive relationships
throughout the school, assemblies, as well as
embedding SMSC in other National
Curriculum subjects.
Spiritual Development
With regard to spiritual development
inspectors will be looking for evidence of the
children’s interest in and respect for different
people’s beliefs, feelings and values. Children
will be expected to show fascination,
enjoyment and imagination in their learning,
and a willingness to reflect on their
experiences.
Spiritual development involves the growth of
children’s sense of self, their unique potential,
their strengths and weaknesses, and their will
to achieve. It is a voyage of discovery that is
concerned with their search for meaning and
purpose in life.
So How Might this Manifest
itself in the Curriculum?
Schools rich in spiritual development
promote self-knowledge and thinking skills
by incorporating periods of reflective silence
during collective worship and in lesson time.
They encourage curiosity in their pupils,
both about themselves and their place in the
world, and support them by relating their
learning to a wider frame of reference - for
example, asking ‘why?’, ‘how?’ and ‘where?’ as
well as ‘what?’. They give pupils the
opportunity to fathom human feelings and
emotions, and how they affect people, and
show how an understanding of them can be
helpful.
Moral Development
With regard to moral development,
inspectors will be looking for evidence of the
understanding of right and wrong and the
children’s readiness to apply this
understanding in their own lives. It
incorporates the application of reason when
tackling moral and ethical issues.
Moral development is concerned with
questions of intention, motive and attitude. It
points to the need for a foundation of
carefully thought out reference points, to
help children make the distinction between
good and bad; right and wrong; It is these
values on which they can draw as they face
life’s challenges.
ethos magazine
positive education for the future
The more complex our society becomes, the
more our children need the assurance that
comes from being steered through the
issues. Their values will guide their thinking,
their feelings, and how they behave towards
others. They will help them answer the
questions, ‘What kind of world do I want and
how can I help to bring it about?’
So w ]