Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development SMSC

Overview

SMSC stands for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The academy works to support students with social and economic issues which affect young people, their families and our community. We support young people to make safe and informed choices about their lifestyles, their health, careers and their finances both now and as they prepare for the responsibilities of adulthood.

We have embedded both PSHE and citizenship into our curriculum, and at the academy we have developed an ethos and curriculum which ensures students have opportunities to:

• Explore beliefs
• Respect faiths
• Use their imagination and creativity
• Recognise right and wrong
• Respect the law
• Understand consequences
• Investigate moral and ethical issues
• Appreciate cultural influences and understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity
• Accept and engage with the fundamental values of British democracy

We believe that students are very well prepared to take their place in modern British society and embrace British values. Students have a sophisticated cultural awareness and demonstrate an understanding of different faiths and the work they do to help others develops year on year. Staff at the academy are aware of the nature and scope of extremism and are working hard to ensure that all students are aware of the dangers of fringe organisations.

Students are provided with opportunities to cooperate, participate and volunteer in the running of the academy through our leadership programme of prefects and through council representation as part of the academy council. They are also involved in a range of local, national and global initiatives from ‘Send My Friend To School’ to ‘Giving Nation’. Students are encouraged to spend time considering how they can make a difference and are then supported when they work to act upon their views and opinions.