Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development within Kingsmeadow is promoted through a variety of different ways, both in school and within the wider community. Here at Kingsmeadow we are enthusiastic about education not simply as a means of conveying knowledge to our students, but also as a vehicle by which we can instil values and in turn improve the quality of life for each one of them. Effective SMSC development within our school has the potential to be paramount to the success of our students, by providing them with a knowledge of the wider world and highlighting the opportunities which are available if they achieve a sound educational base. Our SMSC provision provides our students with the resources and impetus to develop their skills and helps them form a positive attitude towards learning, which will equip them not only in their current education, but also in their post-school life.
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Promotion of British Values
As part of this development, the Department for Education has defined certain British values which should be promoted within schools to ensure young people leave school prepared for life in modern Britain.
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The examples that follow are some of the ways we seek to embed British values at Kingsmeadow School and our overall approach to this, as opposed to documenting every facet of this covered in school.
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Democracy
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The principle of democracy is constantly enforced throughout Kingsmeadow, with students made aware that they are able to make decisions about what happens within their school. We have a Student Ambassador group who meet on a regular basis and whose purpose is to increase the influence of students in their own education by ensuring that their views are included when the school is making key decisions. Student Ambassadors are democratically elected by students at the start of each academic year. We want our students to feel that they are part of the school community and that we appreciate their points of view. Student Ambassadors can allow students to have a say in improving their own education now and to participate in developing new ideas for the future. The principle of democracy is also explored in Humanities, in particular English, History and Religious Studies as well as in tutor time and through themed assemblies.
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The Rule of Law
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The importance of the rule of law, how laws are made and how rules and laws are put in place to ensure the safety of any society, is consistently reinforced throughout the school, through our Attitude to Learning policy and through themed assemblies. Students are reminded of the importance of obeying laws and of the consequences if these laws are broken. The importance of rights and responsibilities is paramount to our school ethos and this forms a central part of our teaching practice in every lesson. We also have strong links with Northumbria Police, who come into school on a regular basis to talk about the importance of law and order.
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Individual Liberty
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At Kingsmeadow we are committed to providing a calm, caring and well-ordered environment where everyone feels safe, happy and understands what is expected of them ensuring that students feel comfortable when expressing themselves. We promote a culture of praise and encouragement and expect consistency of response to both positive and negative behaviour, which provides boundaries for students to make their own choices. Students are actively encouraged to know and exercise their rights, particularly in relation to their interaction with other students and with the wider community and are aware of the importance of making appropriate choices, with regard to such things as Online Safety and their own physical and emotional well-being.
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Mutual Respect
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We believe that positive relationships based on mutual respect, promote positive attitudes to learning and that as students learn by example, all adults within school should act as positive role models with regard to their own behaviour. Respect is at the core of our school ethos and is reflected in our Attitude to Learning policy which is reiterated through our school and displayed in every room. Students are made aware that their behaviour affects others and that positive and negative behaviour will result in very different outcomes and each behaviour will elicit a relevant response, consistent throughout the whole school.
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Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
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All students experience a structured approach to PSHE through our pastoral programme where global themes and cultures are explored. Citizenship and British Values are part of this and this includes students learning about different faiths and cultures, something which is also delivered through Religious Education. Our school assemblies programme also closely follows cultural events, ensuring that students are kept up to date with relevant social, cultural and spiritual events.
