Etonbury Academy has a goal of delivering a rich, personalised curriculum that enables all pupils to fulfil their potential in and out of the classroom and be prepared for their next steps, be it the next key stage, further education or employment and training.

Two clear intentions are at the centre of the curriculum.

• Develop the learner
• Develop the person

For an overview of our intent, implementation and impact please click here

SMSC

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development (SMSC) is about everything we do at Etonbury Academy, to help children build their own personal values, have positive relationships with others and become responsible young citizens in society. SMSC development supports children to be kind, thoughtful and caring and to be able to live and learn alongside people with different beliefs, cultures and lifestyles.

Our provision for pupils’ Spiritual, Moral, Social, Cultural and Emotional development (SMSC), builds on our values of our education.

An important part of SMSC is to support children to engage with British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and respect for different faiths and beliefs.

SMSC provision and delivery is an ongoing and integral part of life at the Academy. Regular assemblies across all year groups focus on significant moral and social messages, and guest speakers support our aims and aspirations to ensure all our students become happy and successful future citizens.

Spiritual Development

We want students to be reflective about their own beliefs, but also show interest and respect for the beliefs and faiths of others. We encourage children to reflect, not just on their own behaviour and the choices they make, but also on the skills needed to remain calm and focused on their learning.

Spiritual development is also about supporting students to be creative, imaginative and reflect on their learning experiences.

Opportunities for Spiritual development include:

• Learning together to value the ideas and contributions of all students
• Providing a varied and exciting curriculum that inspires children and makes learning enjoyable
• Coming together in assemblies and special events to share learning with each other and with parents and the community to reflect on our learning experiences

Moral Development

Opportunities for Moral development include:

• Students working together to discuss and agree on what they need to do to create a safe, friendly and inclusive environment for learning
• Opportunities in the curriculum for students to offer their own points of view and to be able to listen to and value those of others.
• In every classroom and throughout the school environment, children are encouraged to make positive behaviour choices and develop strategies to manage conflicts effectively.

Social Development

Opportunities for Social development include:

• Making a positive contribution to the community through fund raising, volunteering and engagement in community projects.
• Supporting children to develop the skills needed for living in a democracy through activities such as elections for School Council.

Cultural Development

Our immersion and activity days and creative curriculum allow the children the opportunity to learn about different lifestyles, backgrounds and beliefs other children have.

Opportunities for Cultural development include:

• Providing opportunities in the curriculum for children to visit places of worship and share their beliefs with others.
• Enabling children to enjoy and appreciate a variety of artistic, musical and cultural experiences, including drama, music, singing, choir and sports

British Values

The DfE have recently reinforced the need

“to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”

The government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values have been reiterated by the Prime Minister. At Etonbury Academy every single member of teaching staff is Prevent Trained and these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy:

Democracy is embedded throughout the fabric of the school. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our Student Council and timely elections. The elections of House Captains, as well as the Head Prefects and Senior Prefect Team are based solely on Student and Teacher votes. Our school behaviour policy involves rewards which the pupils vote on as a class group.

The Rule of Law:

The importance of Laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies. Students are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the Police; Fire Service; etc. are regular parts of our calendar and help reinforce this message.

Individual Liberty:

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for students to make choices safety, through of provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advise how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and Personal Development lessons. Whether it be through choice of challenge of how they record, of participation in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices.

Mutual Respect:

Part of our school ethos and behaviour policy has revolved around Core Values such as ‘Respect’, and pupils have been part of discussions and assemblies related to what this means and how it is shown. Posters around the school promote respect for others and this is reiterated through our classroom and learning rules, as well as our behaviour policy.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:

This is achieved through enhancing pupils understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity. Assemblies and discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in RE and Personal Development. The school has a high-profile Multi cultural events organiser who ensures that different faiths and special days are celebrated throughout the term. These are always very well supported by the students and staff members alike. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school.