Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development
The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the child is recognised as being of fundamental importance for the education of all children by Governors, staff and parents of our school. It is taught through all subjects of the curriculum and in particular RE and PSHCE. It supports all areas of learning and can contribute to the child’s motivation to learn. It is recognised that such development will be most successful when the values and attitudes promoted by the staff provide a model of behaviour for the children.
School Ethos
The values and attitudes promoted by the staff influence the behaviour and attitudes within the school. The quality of relationships and the atmosphere within the school reflect an appreciation of our shared values.
The spiritual development of pupils is shown by their:
- ability to be reflective about their own beliefs, religious or otherwise, that inform their perspective on life and their interest in 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, readily apply this understanding in their own lives 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 being able 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, including working and socialising with pupils 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; the pupils develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.
Spiritual Development
Spiritual development is relevant to all children, not only those who come from Christian homes.
In developing the spirituality of children, we help them to become aware of:
- The human search for meaning and purpose of life which may lead to an understanding of and belief in God
- The joy of being alive
- The beauty of the natural world
- The mystery and wonder of existence
- The world of imagination and creativity
- The value of the non-material dimension of life
- The need to understand oneself and one’s feelings
- The need to value oneself and one’s feelings.
- The need to recognise the feelings and achievements of others
In this way, spiritual development encourages:
- Self-awareness
- Reflection
- Reasoning
- A sense of enduring identity
- Good relationships
- Co-operation and empathy
- The formation of long term ideals
The school will promote spiritual development through:
- Fostering high self-esteem by encouraging children to take risks or face challenges in their learning within a secure and positive environment.
- Demonstrating its appreciation for work of the child’s imagination and provide opportunities for them to use their own creativity and imagination.
- Offering opportunities for aesthetic experience in art, music, dance, and literature.
- Making time for stillness and reflection which may lead to children coming to the threshold of prayer.
- Posing questions that encourage children to consider issues of meaning and purpose.
- Developing good listening skills in the children; the School will show that it is listening to the children through its response to issues raised, by them, via the School Council, Faith Group & Sports Council
- Showing that it is not always possible to provide an absolute answer and at such times it is a positive experience to value a variety of interpretations and responses.
- Improving co-operation and understanding in relationships, providing opportunities such as group activities where children have constructive and enjoyable interaction with others; it is important that they sometimes work with those children who they would not normally choose as partners.
- Fostering emotional wellbeing by encouraging children to express their feelings and to have the ability to control their emotional behaviour.
- Developing the capacity for evaluative reasoning and critical thought by encouraging children to look beyond the surface.
These opportunities appear across the curriculum although are clearly scheduled in RE, Collective Worship and the Creative Arts. As a school, we value opportunities presented within the Science, DT and Mathematics curriculum.
Moral Development
This relates to the child’s developing understanding of what is ‘right’, ‘wrong’ and ‘fair’. The School will try to build on the moral training within the home, while accepting that there might be different approaches between home and school.
Moral development is concerned with:
- Developing the child’s awareness and understanding of the moral code of the communities in which they live; these may or may not be statutory.
- Helping the child to realise that to enjoy rights we have to accept responsibilities.
- Developing the child’s understanding of why rules are necessary.
- Developing the child’s self-discipline so that rules are observed as a point of principle and not out of the fear of sanctions.
- Giving the child the knowledge and ability to question and to reason so that they are capable of deciding on the most appropriate action after considering the consequences of an action.
- Develop the skills necessary to explain their own behaviour.
- Value physical well being, privacy, feelings, beliefs and rights of others.
The School will promote the moral development of the child by;
- Accepting proper authority and abiding by school rules
- Showing respect to all adults in school e.g.Teachers, LSA’S , Midday Assistants and Parent Volunteers.
- Having a consensus of values that are stated clearly and owned by everyone, especially the children and involving the child in the evaluation of these.
- Building up the self- esteem of the child.
- Encouraging everyone within the school to behave in an acceptable way towards one another.
- Training children in understanding the consequences of their actions.
It is important that there is a consistency in the approach to this amongst the staff.
Opportunities to promote moral development will be provided during Circle Time, PSHE and the School Council.
At our school our moral code is underpinned by our values and belief in:
- Telling the truth
- Keeping promises
- Respecting the rights and property of others
- Being considerate to one another
- Caring for those who are less fortunate
- Accepting responsibility for one’s own actions
- Self discipline
We will not accept:
- Bullying
- Cheating
- Deceit
- Cruelty
- Irresponsibility
- Dishonesty
- Selfishness
Cultural Development
Development in this area allows the child to recognise that all cultural groups are distinctive. Culture is the embodiment of shared beliefs, knowledge, customs and values of that group. The child needs to appreciate the distinctive features of their own culture and those of others. This will help children to answer the questions “Who am I” and “Where do I fit in?”
We need to remember that cultures are dynamic and are constantly being re-shaped.
The School will promote cultural development through:
- Exposing children to a wealth of stimuli from their own culture and those of others. This will be taught through the whole curriculum in particular RE, Literature and Music. Visits out of school and visitors to the school will support this teaching
- Encouraging participation in and appreciation of the wealth of cultural traditions and the beliefs associated with these
- Encouraging understanding and appreciation of the beliefs, value and customs of different cultures
Opportunities to nurture the cultural development of the child exist in all creative areas - PHSE, RE and collective worship.
Collective Worship
Boxted St Peter’s Primary School is a Church of England School and as such the promotion and the understanding of Christianity and its values is a key part of Collective Worship.
In Collective Worship children will be given the opportunity to:
- Be part of a community
- Think about the needs of others
- Explore and share beliefs