Emerson Park Academy will endeavour to implement the thoughtful and wide-ranging promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development that enables them to thrive in a supportive, highly cohesive learning community. SMSC is fundamental to pupils' personal development and well-being. 

Rationale:

The importance of SMSC is widely recognised and has a significant role at EPA, it is the golden thread running across all aspects of life at the academy. At EPA we strive to develop the whole pupil. We recognise that school is about more than exam results. Promoting all pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development will create a positive learning community where pupils are highly engaged, tolerant, reflective, creative, self-confident and fully prepared for their next stage of education, training or employment.

A broad approach involving all aspects of the school and curriculum is necessary. SMSC is embedded in both the curriculum and the everyday life of the school.

What does this look like in practice?

           Spiritual

EPA pupils are encouraged to:

• develop beliefs and hold values which inform their perspective on life and are tolerant;
• enjoy learning and be both challenged and fascinated whilst learning about themselves, the world around them and the intangible;
• be creative and use their imaginations;
• reflect on their experiences and use this to develop and move forward;
• become confident and self-aware individuals;
• belong to a community of respect, development, attainment and intellectual curiosity;
• develop their resilience, self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence.

Moral

EPA pupils should:

• demonstrate strong moral values, readily recognising and acting upon what is right and wrong;
• understand controversial and challenging issues and be able to give reasoned views for peoples’ actions;
• show a strong interest in moral and ethical issues, expressing their views and challenging those that they believe are wrong;
• be able to demonstrate empathy by understanding the impact of their behaviour on others;
• understand a sense of moral duty in relation to charity, the academy and the wider community;
• be able to distinguish right from wrong and respect the civil and criminal law;
• show respect for their own and other cultures in a way that promotes tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions.

          Social

EPA pupils are encouraged to:

• be socially aware, enabling them to work effectively with people from a variety of backgrounds;
• be able to work confidently in a team;
• be able to recognise potential sources of conflict in a social setting and develop skills to resolve conflict;
• be aware of the complexities of society and interdependence of people in the academy community and workplace;
• participate in enrichment activities and co-operate with others;
• accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative and understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality in which the school is situated and to society more widely;
• understand about the public institutions and services in England.

           Cultural

EPA students should:

• understand and appreciate their culture and heritage and those of the academy community and wider community around them;
• know the importance of self-worth and how an understanding of culture is paramount to it;
• celebrate their personal history and respect and celebrate cultural diversity;
• show absolute respect and value different religions, ethnic and socio-economic groups;
• show a keen interest and desire to take part in activities that develop cultural knowledge such as art, music, science, technology, sport;

• respect British values of tolerance, individual liberty, democracy and rule of law ;
• not promote extremist views.

 

SMSC policy into practice

         All staff should:

• be aware and understand what SMSC is and understand how it underpins our community;
• understand the importance of SMSC in the wider personal development of pupils;
• Strive to embed the different aspects of SMSC in all areas of the academy;
• Use display boards and the website to highlight areas of good practice.

Teaching staff should:

• have a working knowledge of the 4 strands of SMSC and how they can be demonstrated across the school;
• understand how SMSC is present in every lesson they teach;
• effectively use displays boards to reflect SMSC and fundamental British values;
• consider how SMSC is present in all aspects of curriculum including trips and visits.

           Assemblies and Form Time:

• All assemblies and form activities should include SMSC elements and personal reflection time.