At Arbour Academy, we deliver SMSC and British Values through various subject areas, ensuring that the strands are interwoven into different topics as identified in our subject policies. This approach allows students to develop their understanding of life in Modern Britain in a holistic and meaningful way. Additionally, we have a comprehensive assembly plan that ensures wide-ranging coverage of SMSC strands across the academic year.
The use of the Votes for Schools scheme further enhances our SMSC provision, covering many of the strands and giving pupils the opportunity to express themselves while discussing important social, moral, and cultural issues. This scheme provides age-appropriate materials, includes key calendared events, and keeps topics current, enabling students to stay informed and engaged with the world around them while developing their cultural capital.
Curriculum Integration: SMSC values are embedded across our curriculum, ensuring that learners encounter opportunities for spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development in all subjects. In Project Based Learning at KS3 (PBL) we cover SMSC and British Values through topic-based learning.
This approach provides a wealth of opportunities to engage learners in all areas of SMSC.
Through our PSHE and RSE curriculum we aim to prepare our children for life in modern Britain. In discreet weekly PSHE/RSE lessons, learners will acquire a broad knowledge of the public institutions and services in England, learning about national events and key figures and influences in the UK.
Alongside this, learners also experience democracy through class debates and school council events. Citizenship runs through the core of our curriculum, exploring human rights in PSHE and ‘the difference between right and wrong’ is integral to our behaviour policy and our whole school H.E.R.E culture.
At Arbour Academy, SMSC is embedded across the curriculum and further developed through our weekly Big Discussion framework. Each session begins with an accessible, real-life question or scenario, encouraging pupils to share views, listen to others and consider different perspectives.
Throughout the year, pupils explore a broad range of religious and non-religious worldviews, alongside themes linked to British Values, equality, respect, responsibility and life in modern Britain. The framework is carefully planned to promote thoughtful discussion, challenge stereotypes and support pupils to develop confidence, empathy and an understanding of the diverse society in which they live.
Our annual SMSC calendar ensures that these themes are revisited and developed progressively across the academic year.
For more information, please check out 'The Big Discussion' link at the bottom of this page.
The implementation of the SMSC policy at Arbour Academy will be regularly monitored and reviewed to ensure its effectiveness and relevance. Teaching of SMSC activities are monitored through regular learning walks with learners' SMSC books included in book scrutinies throughout the year. Feedback from staff, learners, and parents/carers will be sought to continuously improve and adapt our SMSC provision to meet the evolving needs of our learners.
