Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development (SMSC)

SMSC is promoted through all areas of the curriculum and school life at Lisburne School.

At Lisburne, learning PSHE and Citizenship helps the pupils to develop as individuals in a wide range of situations. Our aims ensure children learn to understand themselves physically, emotionally, socially and begin to understand their relationship with others and their role in society. Health education is a responsibility which our school shares with the child’s home, local health services and the community. It is an integral part of the “whole education” of our children helping them to make informed, responsible decisions about values, standards and exercising their own personal responsibilities, affecting themselves as individuals and also the wider community. To enable all pupils access the PSHE&SMSC curriculum, opportunities include; making a variety of visits, invite speakers and visitors into school, providing artefacts to discuss and handle, looking at photographs and pictures, listening to stories and music from a range of nationalities, religions and cultures.

The four areas can be defined as:

Spiritual Development: is about being reflective about beliefs, values and aspects of human experience, using imagination and creativity and developing a curiosity in learning.

Moral development: relates to recognising right and wrong in school life and outside, understanding consequences, investigating moral and ethical issues and offering reasoned views.

Social development: involves using a range of social skills in different contexts, working well with others, resolving conflicts and understanding how communities work.

Cultural development: has to do with responding positively to a range of artistic, sporting and other cultural opportunities and to understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity.

Since November 2014, all schools have a responsibility to promote the ‘fundamental British values’ of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. We aim to promote these values through our school curriculum and our whole school ethos.

The core SMSC message at Lisburne school can be found here: