Download Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development .

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural
Development at RNIB Pears Centre
Celebrating Diversity; Embracing British Values
We are very proud of the way our whole school (and centre) community values
every young person as a unique individual, who deserves respect and
empathy. At RNIB Pears Centre we believe in the fundamental right of
everyone to hold their own values and beliefs, without judgement. We think
that diversity is a strength and should be highly valued. We also believe that
we want to support each other to make a positive contribution to our
communities. We are a non-faith school that is passionate about principles of:
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Tolerance
Liberty
Democracy
Law or right and wrong.
Definitions of SMSC (Spiritual, moral, social and
cultural)
Spiritual
Explore beliefs and experience; respect faiths, feelings and values; enjoy
learning about oneself, others and the surrounding world; use imagination and
creativity; reflect.
Moral
Recognise right and wrong; respect the law; understand consequences;
investigate moral and ethical issues; offer reasoned views.
Social
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
Appreciate cultural influences; appreciate the role of Britain's parliamentary
system; participate in culture opportunities; understand, accept, respect and
celebrate diversity.
How do we promote the development of SMSC at RNIB Pears?
Many aspects of SMSC are promoted through the day to day ethos of our
school and centre. The values and behaviours we expect from our staff and
young people are built on principles of collaboration, support and personal
excellence. Through our daily interactions with each other we expect all
members of our school community to model positive behaviours, tolerance
and understanding.
Our weekly assembly themes address many areas of SMSC and incorporate
themes specific to the promotion of British Values. Young people are included
in presenting or actively participating in assemblies wherever appropriate.
Our curriculum supports the development of SMSC through a number of
learning areas, including “People of the world” and “Healthy Me”. Our enriched
curriculum offers activities linked to independence, sensory activities and
habilitation skills also enhances the opportunities for young people to engage
in our communities.
Special events and activities to mark the major world religions are built into our
school calendar each year and we celebrate these as a whole school and in
our classes. Whilst we allow parents to opt their young people out of certain
activities if they so wish we are pleased that this is rarely the case and that this
helps to spread further tolerance and understanding.
Our behaviour policy is built on our principle that behaviours are a form of
communication. Therefore we do not have a sanction system to evidence right
and wrong or consequences to our young people. However where there are
opportunities to discuss right and wrong and challenge the thinking of young
people, we embrace that and work with them as an individual so that we can
respond to their learning needs.
Much of the work we undertake with our young people is to support their
access to the wider world now and in the future. To this end we work tirelessly
to ensure they can interact with others, understand social boundaries and be
safe. This is a critical part of our work to ensure that our young people do not
suffer from social isolation now or in the future. Their voices can be heard and
they can contribute to their world to the best of their ability.
The Impact of our SMSC Work
As a school we have had no recorded incidents of bullying between our young
people or from our young people. We do not encounter issues arising from the
cultural differences among our staff or young people. Any young person or
adult who conveys opinions not in-keeping with our principles of tolerance and
understanding are quickly dealt with through open and honest discourse.
Over time from their starting points with us, our young people make significant
progress in their personal and social development. They display increasing
‘tolerance’ of changes in people, places or routine. They show a greater desire
to engage with others and communicate in a way that makes sense to them
and those who know them well. They show greater resilience and in turn
present as better self-managers, who can exercise improved levels of
appropriate control over their anxieties and behaviours.