SMSC: where is it hiding in your school?

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SMSC where is it hiding in your school?

• 19 March 2013

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• Agenda
• SMSC where is it hiding in your school?
• coffee
• SMSC and Inspection
• lunch
• Auditing SMSC
• tea
• Provision into practice

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• If we dont know what it is,
• how can we identify where it may be found?
• So what is SMSC?

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• The 1994 inspection handbook attempted a
  definition of spiritual development
• Spiritual development relates to that aspect of
  inner life through which pupils acquire insights
  into their personal experience which are of
  enduring worth.
• It is characterised by reflection, the
  attribution of meaning to experience, valuing a
  non-material dimension to life and intimations of
  an enduring reality.
• ?Spiritual' is not synonymous with ?religious'
  all areas of the curriculum may contribute to
  pupils' spiritual development.

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• Moral development is about the building, by
  pupils, of a framework of moral values which
  regulates their personal behaviour.
• It is also about the development of pupils
  understanding of societys shared and agreed
  values.
• It is about understanding that there are issues
  where there is disagreement and it is also about
  understanding that societys values change.
• Moral development is about gaining an
  understanding of the range of views and the
  reasons for the range.
• It is also about developing an opinion about the
  different views.

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• Social development is about young people working
  effectively with each other and participating
  successfully in the community as a whole.
• It is about the development of the skills and
  personal qualities necessary for living and
  working together.
• It is about functioning effectively in a
  multi-racial, multi-cultural society.
• It involves growth in knowledge and understanding
  of society in all its aspects. This includes
  understanding people as well as understanding
  societys institutions, structures and
  characteristics, economic and political
  principles and organisations, roles and
  responsibilities and life as a citizen, parent or
  worker in a community.
• It also involves the development of the
  inter-personal skills necessary for successful
  relationships.

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• Cultural development is about pupils
  understanding their own culture and other
  cultures in their town, region and in the country
  as a whole.
• It is about understanding cultures represented in
  Europe and elsewhere in the world.
• It is about understanding and feeling comfortable
  in a variety of cultures and being able to
  operate in the emerging world culture of shared
  experiences provided by television, travel and
  the internet.
• It is about understanding that cultures are
  always changing and coping with change.
• Promoting pupils cultural development is
  intimately linked with schools attempts to value
  cultural diversity and prevent racism.

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Why spiritual development?
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• Spiritual development is an important element of
  a childs education and fundamental to other
  areas of learning. Without curiosity, without the
  inclination to question, and without the exercise
  of imagination, insight and intuition, young
  people would lack the motivation to learn, and
  their intellectual development would be impaired.
• (OFSTED 1994)

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• Deprived of self-understanding and potentially
  the ability to understand others, they may
  experience difficulty in co-existing with
  neighbours and colleagues to the detriment of
  their social development. Were they not able to
  be moved by feelings of awe and wonder at the
  beauty of the world we live in, or the power of
  artists, musicians and writers to manipulate
  space, sound and language, they would live in an
  inner spiritual and cultural desert.

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• Pupils will want to do their best if they believe
  they matter as unique individuals capable of
  growing in spirit, making responsible moral
  decisions and being creative. Experiences and
  relationships must convince them of their value
  as individuals.
• A prime motivator for adults is a belief that
  what they are doing matters e.g. teaching to help
  pupils fulfil their potential as human beings,
  rather than just to pass exams.

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• Ofsted January 2012
• Promoting spiritual, moral, social and
  cultural education across the curriculum
• SIAMS inspection April 2013
• How well does the school, through its
  distinctive Christian character meet the needs of
  all learners?

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How can we support SMSC?

• Helping children to
• reflect on important questions of meaning and
  identity
• think about special events in life and how they
  are celebrated at home and in other communities
• explore the relationship between human beings and
  their environment
• develop their self-esteem and self-awareness
• think about right and wrong
• reflect on their emotions and feelings
• express and explore beliefs, ideas and
  experiences through creative arts

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• It is important to see spiritual development not
  just in lessons but in other components of
  learning.
• Enquiry is perhaps the most obvious learning
  approach, for example
• Philosophy for Children (P4C)
• Community of Enquiry

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This haunting image shows Joseline Ingabire, a 38
year old Tutsi woman, embracing her daughter
Hossiana. In the background is her other
daughter Leah. Leah was born as a result of her
being raped by Hutu militia during the Rwandan
Civil War in 1994. She says that she still finds
it impossible to love Leah.
"I am beginning to appreciate that this other one
(Leah) is innocent but even when I get clothes
for them, I give priority to the older one."
I love my first daughter because I gave birth
to her as a result of love."
Which religious beliefs and practices could
Joseline gain hope from? What ethical issues are
raised by this image?
One cabinet minister told me she was personally
in favour of getting rid of all Tutsi without
the Tutsi, she told ministers, all of Rwanda's
problems would be over.
UNWANTED
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Quality of learning

• Shallow learning
• memorisation, information recall, replication
• Deep learning
• reflection, knowledge and understanding
• Profound learning
• intuition, wisdom and meaning
• John West Burnham