Florence Melly Community Primary School
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SMSC

Our SMSC Curriculum and how we promote Fundamental British Values

“Leaders make excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school’s core values are well known by pupils and regularly promoted by staff. From a very young age, pupils learn the importance of tolerance and respect. They regularly learn about different cultures and belief systems. Consequently, they are extremely well prepared for life in modern Britain.” (Ofsted, 2019).

At Florence Melly Community Primary School, we value SMSC. We are inclusive and diverse! We not only actively promote the social, spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at our school – they sit at the very heart of everything we do! This was recognised by Ofsted during our most recent inspection: “The development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is a significant strength. It helps pupils to develop into sensitive young people who are a credit to their school.” 

We want our children to remember their SMSC lessons in our school, to cherish these memories and embrace the opportunities they are presented with! Bringing SMSC alive is important at Florence Melly Community Primary School. Our SMSC curriculum has been carefully crafted so that our children develop their Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural capital. We achieve this by carefully mapping out weekly whole-school themes to be explored and celebrated. These are underpinned by our DREAMS core values. Each half-term is designated to a core value – with weekly themes relating to that over-arching core theme. For example, after Christmas the children focus on our ‘Safety’ core value by tackling weekly themes such as the NSPCC Pants initiative, online safety and sex and relationships education. 

Each week starts with an introductory assembly – led by class teachers – introducing the children to a different key theme. This theme is then explored in greater depth in class. Many teachers spend an entire afternoon exploring the weekly theme, gathering evidence which is presented in the children’s SMSC books. Every child from Year 1 to Year 6 has their very own SMSC book. 

Our pupils are also encouraged to celebrate nationally recognised themed days. For example, our Year 6 children went to a local charity shop in Broadway in celebration of International Day of Charity. They were given a tour of the shop and showed what they do with all of the donations they receive. The children gave up their afternoon to volunteer in then shop, giving something back to their local community. Earlier this month, pupils and staff donned their masks, capes and costumes in celebration of World Diabetes Day! The whole-school came together to raise awareness and improve our pupil’s understanding of the condition. Mrs Findell led a superb assembly and our very own Diabetes Type One Hero visited classes to describe the challenges she faces! 

Other recent examples include: visiting Crosby beach as part of the Great British Beach Clean, exploring Croxteth Park to learn more about green spaces and discuss sustainability in support Forest Stewardship Council Day and visiting a local Costa Coffee shop as part of  International Coffee Day.

We use the vibrancy of our great city to learn from other cultures, respect diversity, co-operate with one another and appreciate what they have. For example, children from Years 4 and 5 recently went on an enrichment trip to Liverpool Central Mosque. The children were invited into the Mosque by Abu Usama, who was the Imam. The children learnt Arabic words for the prayer area and the prayer arch. Most of the time there was spent discussing how we feel when people look different to us and we how should try and accept differences and learn about them. What a great way to celebrate our whole-school tolerance week! Also, as part of our whole-school themed week on rule of law, pupils in Year 3 visited St George’s Hall to help bring the theme alive! The children had a tour of the old court house, visited the jail cells in the basement and looked at some of the old fashioned punishments too. What an eye opener it was! 

Other recent examples include: visiting the L6 Community Centre wrapping Christmas gifts that will be given out to local families and exploring Black History Month in style at the International Slavery Museum at the Albert Dock. 

We enrich our pupils’ time in our school with memorable, unforgettable experiences and provide opportunities which are normally out of reach – this piques their interests and passions. For example, earlier this year some of our Year 6 pupils were given the VIP treatment when they set off for the Wirral to watch the Tour of Britain cycling event. Also, as part of our whole-school Remembrance theme, pupils were inspired a special performance by the Imperial Corps of Drums. What a treat! We firmly believe that it is not just about what happens in the classroom, it is about the added value we offer to really inspire our children.

Other recent examples include: a recent visit to the Liverpool Reptile Rescue Centre in Speke as part of National Reptile Day, enjoying a Ferry ‘cross the Mersey’ as part of a transition project for pupils in Year 6, visiting the Anglican Cathedral to see the superb Gaia art installation and our more-able artists visiting the Lowry Art Gallery in Salford, Manchester.

We are currently in the process of developing a new RE/SMSC/P4C hybrid curriculum. It is our intention that each week our children will explore a new, thought-provoking age-specific question rather than a topic – linked to the SMSC theme of the week. We hope to have this in place by the end of the 2019/20 academic year. 

This is what Ofsted said in our recent inspection…

“The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.”

“Leaders ensure that pupils’ learning is enriched by a wide range of exciting activities, such as residential trips and educational visits. Staff make excellent use of the resources available in the locality, such as art galleries, sporting arenas and music venues. This has a very strong, positive impact on the way in which pupils learn, behave and make progress across subjects.”

“The school’s excellent curriculum helps pupils to develop a secure understanding of the different cultures and religions that exist within and beyond their locality. Older pupils debate difficult issues, such as such as religious bigotry and the Toxteth riots. This helps to ensure they are very well prepared for life in modern Britain.”

“Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding, and they are kept safe in school. Pupils are friendly, kind and respectful towards each other and the adults who teach them. Pupils develop excellent attitudes to learning and take great pride in their work.”

“Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. Those who met with an inspector had a good understanding of e-safety. Pupils are also taught how to stay safe while out of school, for example, through the cycling course pupils in Year 5 recently completed.”

Key Documentation

Please use the link below which set out the vibrant SMSC curriculum on offer to our pupils.

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Whole-School Curriculum Map Autumn Term 2018/19   Whole-School Curriculum Map Spring Term 2018/19   Whole-School Curriculum Map Summer Term 2018/19

 

Latest SMSC Activities

Check out just some of the memorable experiences our pupils get up as part of our SMSC curriculum . Please visit our Twitter and Flickr feeds for more fantastic examples.

 
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Autism Awareness Day   Giants in Princess Park   Young Addiction Workshop
         
   
Princess Road Synagogue   The Great British Beach Clean Up   Al Rahma Mosque

Promoting Fundamental British Values as part of SMSC

Through our provision of SMSC we:

  • enable students to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence;
  • enable students to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England;
  • encourage students to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and to understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality of the school and to society more widely;
  • enable students to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England;
  • further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling students to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures;
  • encourage respect for other people; and
  • encourage respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic processes, including respect for the basis on which the law is made and applied in England.The list below describes the understanding and knowledge expected of pupils as a result of schools promoting fundamental British values.
  • an understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process;
  • an appreciation that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and is essential for their wellbeing and safety;
  • an understanding that there is a separation of power between the executive and the judiciary, and that while some public bodies such as the police and the army can be held to account through Parliament, others such as the courts maintain independence;
  • an understanding that the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law;
  • an acceptance that other people having different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour; and
  • an understanding of the importance of identifying and combatting discrimination.

It is not necessary for schools or individuals to ‘promote’ teachings, beliefs or opinions that conflict with their own, but nor is it acceptable for schools to promote discrimination against people or groups on the basis of their belief, opinion or background.

Examples of actions that a school can take

The following is not designed to be exhaustive, but provides a list of different actions that schools can take, such as:

  • include in suitable parts of the curriculum, as appropriate for the age of pupils, material on the strengths, advantages and disadvantages of democracy, and how democracy and the law works in Britain, in contrast to other forms of government in other countries;
  • ensure that all pupils within the school have a voice that is listened to, and demonstrate how democracy works by actively promoting democratic processes such as a school council whose members are voted for by the pupils;
  • use opportunities such as general or local elections to hold mock elections to promote fundamental British values and provide pupils with the opportunity to learn how to argue and defend points of view;
  • use teaching resources from a wide variety of sources to help pupils understand a range of faiths, and

  • consider the role of extra-curricular activity, including any run directly by pupils, in promoting fundamental British values.