Priory Park Community School has a strong commitment to the personal and social development of all pupils.  The school vision and values, put together by all the staff, supports spiritual, moral, social and cultural characteristics in all pupils. 

What is SMSC – Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development?

Here is a summary to explain SMSC – it is personalised for all our students at PPCS.

Spiritual development is when we:

Explore beliefs and experience; respect faiths, feelings and values; enjoy learning about oneself, others and the surrounding world; use imagination and creativity; reflect.

Moral development is when we:

Recognise right and wrong; respect the law; understand consequences; investigate moral and ethical issues; offer reasoned views.

Social development is when we:

Use a range of social skills; participate in the local community; appreciate diverse viewpoints; participate, volunteer and cooperate; resolve conflict; engage with the ‘British values’ of democracy, the rule of law, liberty, respect and tolerance.

Cultural development is when we:

Appreciate cultural influences; appreciate the role of Britain’s parliamentary system; participate in culture opportunities; understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity.

In our school pupil’s SMSC development is seen for example in:

  • Taking part in a range of activities regarding social skills
  • Developing an awareness and respect for diversity
  • Developing and appreciation of theatre
  • Developing an understanding of right and wrong.
  • Developing the communication skills to make choices about likes/dislikes in school then in wider community visits.
  • Taking part in sporting opportunities.
  • Taking part in cultural opportunities.
  • Taking part in artistic opportunities.

SMSC is embedded throughout the curriculum at PPCS.  This integrated approach ensures that aspects of SMSC is considered in all subject areas. The senior leadership team audits SMSC and Governors monitor it across school. 

Beyond the Curriculum

We are also committed as a school to developing SMSC beyond the curriculum. This is done through:

  • Arts, Music and Cultural Specialists visits to school over the year
  • Assemblies give pupils an opportunity to explore aspects of SMSC
  • An Arts Specialist Teacher in school has links to Arts Connect West Midlands, Telford and Wrekin Music Hub and Telford Vultire Zone
  • We are currently registered to achieve the Unicef Award.This will be a specific focus of work over the next 2 years. More information on this can be found on

www.unicef.org.uk/rights-respecting-schools/

Impact

In order to reflect further on the impact of all our work on SMSC:

  • We engage governors, families and community
  • Hear our student voice
  • Observe staff and pupil interactions
  • Support Social Behaviour
  • Complete learning walks reflecting on resources and practices.