Ash Grove Academy

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development

At Ash Grove Academy, we recognise the importance of providing our children with rich SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) opportunities. As a school, we want everyone to consider the kind of people we aspire to be, the kind of world we aspire to create, and the kind of education we aspire to provide.

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development is promoted not only through all the subjects of the curriculum, but also through the ethos of the school and through the development of positive attitudes and values. 

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development supports, expresses and reinforces our school values, and encourages equality, equity and dignity for all. 

Spiritual Opportunities include, but are not limited to:

  • Opportunities for personal and shared reflection and celebration throughout the school week.
  • Other faiths are taught across the R.E curriculum, from EYFS to Year 6.
  • Awareness and celebration of multi-faith festivals across the year.
  • Explicit modelling of appropriate and positive behaviours for learning.
  • High expectations for all learners.
  • Strong PSHE education for all children.

Moral Opportunities include, but are not limited to:

  • Our School Values - being Respectful, Caring, Curious and Co-operative
  • Rights Respecting School - embedding the ethos, language and values of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the understanding of respecting the rights of others.
  • Voting for various roles and responsibilities as School Ambassadors, from Reception to Year 6.
  • Consistent application of the school's behaviour policy, where positive behaviours are modelled, recognised and rewarded and misbehaviour is challenged and disciplined.
  • Using the language of the UN CRC to support restorative conversations when resolving conflicts.
  • Ambitious curriculum that explores local, national and global concepts across a range of subjects and topics.

Social Opportunities include, but are not limited to:

  • Consistent implementation of behaviour routines, supporting an ethos of mutual respect and consideration of others.
  • Regular opportunities for collaborative working throughout the school day.
  • House system - encouraging and supporting and ethos of working towards a shared goal.
  • Inter-house sports competitions at lunch times (Y2-Y6).
  • Opportunities to help run school-wide events - Y6 Fundraising Team, stalls at school fairs, Y3/Y6 collaborative enterprise project.
  • Y5 Playground Leaders - leading games and activities in the KS1 playground to support positive play and social skills.

Cultural Opportunities include but are not limited to:

  • Other faiths' awareness/celebration days
  • Participation in a range of sporting and cultural events and extra-curricular clubs, including all children (Nuresry-Y6) taking part in school productions and class presentations.
  • UK and world maps in every classroom give regular opportunities to locate countries and places of cultural, social or religious significance, and link to key figures in history across a range of disciplines.
  • Trips, visits and residentials, including annual Y6 day-trip to London to see the sights and take in a show in the West End.