Langley MillSpiritual, Moral, Social & Cultural Development
Spiritual, Moral, Social & Cultural Development prepares learners for life in modern Britain by equipping them to be responsible, respectful, active citizens who contribute positively to society; developing their understanding of fundamental British values; developing their understanding and appreciation of diversity; celebrating what we have in common and promoting respect for the different protected characteristics as defined in law.
How we promote spiritual development:
- Through our assembly map and our multi-faith Derbyshire Agreed RE Syllabus pupils are reflective about their own beliefs, religious or otherwise, that inform their perspective on life and their interest in and respect for different people’s faiths, feelings and values.
- Foster a sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them, theming experiences based on spirituality and our curriculum threads, of sustainability, diversity, creativity and community.
- We use books to promote imagination, ambition, and creativity in their learning, with a willingness to reflect on their experiences. (For example Alistair Humphreys and the Boy Who Biked the World)
- By appreciating the beauty of language, e.g., poetic language within stories and poems.
- Providing outdoor learning though Forest Schools and residential visits – Lea Green – in which pupils ‘Gaze at the Stars’ and experience a personal level of spirituality and wonder.
- Harvest festival with thanks and donations.
- Through our RSHE Curriculum.
- Visits to the local church for Christmas & other Faith Centres in the City of Derby.
- By exploring the world with Lyfta's immersive learning platform, experiencing the lives of real people through interactive 360° spaces & captivating short films, sharing positive human stories, including spirituality, introducing diversity, nurture, empathy and sparking curiosity
How we promote moral development:
- By making explicit links to the school’s values of Respect, Confidence, Determination, Enthusiasm, and Aspiration & Kindness, through weekly assemblies and ‘Values’ awards (with up to 30 parents attending) and developing these values intrinsically through modelling and recognition.
- By exploring what is right and wrong and to work out what we need to do in this community to make sure everyone thrives: Respect for ourselves and each other - we are a team.
- Pupils are supported to understand and reflect on choices with restorative conversations & resolution.
- Our curriculum & assemblies promote interest in investigating and offering reasoned views about moral and ethical issues and the ability to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues. For example: The Walter Tull Story: Respect & righting wrongs of the past; The village of Eyam & isolation during the plague with modern links to Covid impact; Environmental awareness: ‘No Planet B’ and the work of the Sustainability Team: The conditions for Arkwright Mill workers and employment of children in mining and mills; The Hobbit & the morals of killing baby Dragons.
- Annual anti-bullying week is part of the school year with regular updates.
- DARE: Communication and listening skills; deal with bullying and peer pressure regarding substance use; manage personal stress; get help from others, including the police; assess the risks and consequences of their behaviour; and make safe and responsible choices. In addition, developing knowledge about substances, both legal and illegal.
- Pupils study one ‘values’-based class novel per term (see reading spine) and explore stimulus for thinking about the consequences of right and wrong behaviour; pupils can speculate and apply their learning to their own lives. Pupils develop their speaking, listening and higher order thinking skills by considering different perspectives and develop empathy: The Iron Man, Erika’s Story, The Hunter, The Angel of Nitshill Road, There’s a Boy in the Girl’s bathroom. Respect – The Walter Tull Story, Windrush & Wonder.
- History: By exploring the results of right and wrong behaviour in the past, e.g., the Blitz, the lives of workers in the time of the Industrial Revolution, Boudicca’s revolt, the discovery of tomb of Tutankhamen, prejudicial behaviour towards women and people with BAME backgrounds.
- By going beyond the facts and asking pupils to make hypotheses and pose questions such as ‘what if…?’; ‘What would have turned a tragedy into a triumph?’
How we promote social development:
- By recognising collaboration as a key Creative Habit and learning behaviour.
- Pupils use a range of social skills and participate in the local community through sport competitions, school Christmas fair, visits to local care home (singing) and local church.
- Pupils appreciate diverse viewpoints; participate, volunteer, and cooperate; resolve conflict; engage with the 'British Values' of democracy, the rule of law, liberty, respect and tolerance.
- By educating pupils on the Protected Characteristics and rights of individuals - including children.
- Futures project in maths for Year 6: Bills, mortgages, salaries, jobs.
- By supporting conceptual and language development through an understanding of and debates about social issues, e.g., refugees, bullying, stereotyping, prejudice, conformity, homelessness sustainability.
- Work collaboratively, e.g., as part of a dramatized response; to prepare a verbal response to an argument; to evaluate each other’s work. For example, a ‘Climate Statement’
- By providing opportunities for learning to continue at home e.g., through the 5 home reads, deeper learning tasks, including connections with older generations (mills and coal)
- By providing opportunities for talk in a range of settings, to a range of audiences and for different purposes. E.g., class assemblies on key figures, performances, and structured discussion.
- By developing literary and critical awareness: children evaluate their work and the work of others.
How we promote cultural development:
- By fostering a sense of pride in the local area, exploring local history and history around us, e.g. Langley Mill and its pivotal role in the rise and decline of industrial Derbyshire with its legacy as being connected to a World Heritage Site (Derwent Mills) with a local guide produced by Year 6 pupils for families.
- Exploring cultures around the world through mapped Lyfta assembles (see overview)
- Promoting culture & diversity and providing a ‘voice’ through a ‘Diversity Ambassador’ Team.
- Providing an after-school Culture Club with visitors from members of the school community.
- Cultural capital is developed for all pupils through the LMA reading Spine for class novels which is read by the teacher. These are values based and represent different cultures & diversity: El Deafo, The Boy at the Back of the Class, The Girl Who Stole an Elephant, The Proudest Blue, Windrush Child.
- By providing opportunities for pupils to engage with texts from or representing different cultures: Notable People in Themed Reading: David Attenborough, Louis Braille, Dr Barnardo, Howard Gayle, Benjamin Zephaniah (We refuges, Windrush) Lilian Bader (first black woman in Britain’s armed forces)
- By providing opportunities for pupils to engage with texts that represent our strong literary heritage, e.g. Carrie’s War, The Hobbit, The Iron Man, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (See 100 Books lists and Book Spine)
- By promoting inclusivity specific to our school community through Hearing Impairment & deaf awareness: Themed Reading Year Y3. Deaf awareness assemblies: Rose Ayling Ellis. 100 ‘Books’ with deaf characters / awareness.
- Experiences & the Djanogly Dozen through visits to local museums, theatre & our capital city.
- Arkwright Mills and the birthplace of the industrial revolution – did the Derwent Valley change the World?
- Derby Museum visits (Egyptians)
- Performing with the Halle Orchestra in Year 4
- By providing opportunities for children to visit the theatre and experience theatrical productions (The Snowman Y3) with panto in school for all pupils
- Visit London, see the houses of parliament, the cenotaph, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace & tour the British Museum.
- Cultural influences that have shaped the UK: History, Art, Music, Dance, Food, and current influences that link to our curriculum threads explored through our weekly ‘In the News ‘
- Maths & the Islamic Golden Age: Enabling pupils to acknowledge the important contribution made by mathematics by non-western cultures.
- By investigating historical figures who have shaped communities and/or left a legacy within our culture and ensuring that we mitigate unconscious bias by questioning stereotyping and valuing diversity, for examples through ‘Our Class Names’ (Attenborough, Goodall, Carson, Kahlo, Hadid, Berners-Lee, Ayling-Ellis, Hawking, Tull, Gregg, Hallam & Arkwright)
