SMSC & British Values

SMSC

‘Working and Growing Together’

At Fitzwilliam Primary School we recognise the importance of the Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural development of all children and hence school has a responsibility to ensure that our school curriculum provides opportunities for all children to develop these skills. The development of Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural understanding threads throughout our school curriculum and is evidenced in everything we do. The development of SMSC supports our school ethos ‘Working and Growing Together’. At Fitzwilliam Primary School we uphold the values that produce children who will be positive citizens in a forever changing world.

Fitzwilliam Values

At Fitzwilliam we have 4 core values that we teach the children and that thread through everything we do across school. They are Respect, Responsibility, Resilience and Recognition and link into our aims for the school and also to our behaviour policy. We aim to teach children these values and help them to identify them in action in themselves, their classroom, their school, their family their wider community and globally in the world beyond.

Fundamental British Values

Fundamental British values thread through our whole curriculum and drive our school assemblies.

In our assemblies we use Picture News as a vehicle to teach the children about Fundamental British Values through a real life and meaningful context. Children debate a big question that supports them to discuss an issue relating to current affairs linked to a Fundamental British value such as ‘The Rule of Law’ or ‘Democracy’.

This is then followed up through work in each classroom each week. Children are encouraged to talk about the value in question and relate this to themselves, their class, their school, their family, the wider community and then globally.

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education

Through our assemblies, curriculum and wider enrichment we aim to teach children to develop spiritually, morally socially and culturally.

We ensure that children have the opportunity to stop, reflect and be mindful, in so developing their spirituality. We know that through the curriculum and wider school work, opportunities to experience awe and wonder are important in developing children’s curiosity about the world they live in.

Our school values, coupled with our behaviour system, ensure that children are exposed to a clear understanding of right and wrong and can shape their moral centre in readiness for the next stage of their education and also wider life. We want our children to be successful citizens who invest in and are an asset to their community.

We encourage and provide every opportunity for our children to develop their social skills, working as individuals to contribute to the team, or collaboratively to make a difference together. Learning how to live and work with and alongside others is a key life skill that is developed both within and beyond the curriculum.

Our curriculum ensures that children are exposed to and learn about cultures that are different from their own and as a result they develop a wider understanding of others. Equally, we ensure that children are well equipped with the knowledge and understanding of their own culture so that they can be successful in a British context.