SMSC stands for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. All schools in England must show how well their pupils develop in SMSC. As part of work in this area, it meets Article 2 for the Rights of the Child where they apply to every child without discrimination. 

As a school we follow the SCARF PSHE scheme of learning. SCARF’s values of Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience and Friendship, which underpin all its content, align strongly with the key principles of SMSC.

Spiritual Development

Spiritual development encourages pupils to understand characteristics such as courage, strength, hope, acceptance, compassion and love, so that they can face the challenges of human life. 

Spiritual education enables children to explore their own beliefs and religion, as well as experiencing and understanding other faiths and values. Children should engage in learning about their own lives and interests, as well as developing their respect for other faiths and ways of life. Through reflection, imagination, creativity and enjoyment, children will develop their sense of identity and self-awareness; understanding their values and attitudes as whole. Our school curriculum gives children a range of opportunities to learn about the world around them and to reflect on the part they have to play in society. 

Opportunities for Spiritual Education include:

Moral Development

Moral development enables pupils to take an increasingly thoughtful view of what is right and wrong, encouraging characteristics such as kindness, unselfishness and truthfulness. 

Moral education enables children to recognise and understand what is right and wrong and apply this knowledge into their own lives.  Children should be able to follow rules and understand the consequences of their behaviour and actions, leading to an awareness and respect for the civil and criminal law of England. Through moral education, children should investigate, reflect upon, and question moral and ethical issues, as well as appreciating the viewpoints of others. Our school curriculum, values and ethos allow children to understand others, have empathy and understand that they have to be responsible citizens.

 Opportunities for Moral Education include:

Social Development

Social development enables pupils to relate to others and development qualities of respectfulness, tolerance and a willingness to get involved with the wider community.

Social Education enables children to cooperate and work effectively with others in school, in the wider community and in society as a whole. Children should have the qualities to engage positively with others from different ethnic, religious and socio-economic backgrounds.  Children should be encouraged to have the desire and skills to become a successful citizen, through developing understanding for others, conflict resolution and by volunteering in the community.  Embedding the fundamental British Values ensures that children are prepared for life in modern Britain through understanding ‘Democracy’, ‘The Rule of Law’, ‘Individual Liberty’, ‘Mutual Respect’ and ‘Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs’. Children should develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.

Information about British Values and Protected Characteristics at Belmont can be found further down the page.

Opportunities for Social Education include:

Cultural Development

Enables pupils to develop a sense of identity by understanding their cultures and cultures of others by engaging in music, arts, traditions and customs. 

Cultural education enables children to understand and experience their own and other cultures.  Through exploring the cultures in Britain and those within the local area in which they live, children have the knowledge and understanding of the history, cultures and values that have shaped Britain today, and is an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain. Children should be willing to enjoy and experience artistic, sporting and cultural opportunities. They should have interest in exploring, improving understanding of and showing respect for different faiths and cultural diversity, and the extent to which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity, as shown by their tolerance and attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities.

Opportunities for Cultural Education include:

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