SMSC - WHERE HAS IT GONE!?

Hi my people.

Today's blog post will be a little bit of a rant/reminder of something which I have been thinking about quite a lot recently. Where has SMSC gone in our education system? Below is a little reminder what SMSC is.

What is SMSC?

SMSC stands for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. All schools in England must show how well their pupils develop in SMSC:

Spiritual

Explore beliefs and experience; respect faiths, feelings and values; enjoy learning about oneself, others and the surrounding world; use imagination and creativity; reflect.

Ofsted definition of 'spiritual development'

Moral

Recognise right and wrong; respect the law; understand consequences; investigate moral and ethical issues; offer reasoned views.

Ofsted definition of 'moral development'

Social

Use a range of social skills; participate in the local community; appreciate diverse viewpoints; participate, volunteer and cooperate; resolve conflict; engage with the 'British values' of democracy, the rule of law, liberty, respect and tolerance.

Ofsted definition of 'social development'

Cultural

Appreciate cultural influences; appreciate the role of Britain's parliamentary system; participate in culture opportunities; understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity.

Ofsted definition of 'cultural development'

As a young teacher who hasn't been on the other side of the desk for too long, I notice that the grand push on SMSC by the government has somewhat diminished? Granted there has been a wavered emphasis on 'British Values' in its broader and more generic sense in recent times (which I unapologetically stand by), especially considering the UK and it's social responsibility in rebutting all forms of terrorism/extremism; however I strongly feel that 'British Values' should not just be embraced for this alone, but in its full capacity, which includes SMSC. I believe the wrong way to advocate 'British Values' is to just push this broad and ambiguous term down our throats in order to merely alleviate moral panic. Instead, we should really try and focus on delivering and promoting each SMSC component individually in a systematic manner.

I don't see the same methodical Social, Moral, Cultural and Spiritual teachings interweaved into lesson content these days as I once did as a student sitting my GCSE's. I used to enjoy the undertones of all of these teachings when I was a student, and in every lesson that I was apart of, I would take great heed from the teacher as they embedded a spiritual teaching about remaining calm, or moral lessons about respecting your neighbour, or even social anecdotes about seeking and embracing opportunities (this list is in no way exhaustive).

In my short time as an educator, I have always made it a duty to advocate British Values and SMSC in every lesson. I feel that whilst school's currently do try and follow suit with Assemblies or 'theme of the week', this needs to be replicated INSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM alongside their formal curriculum in order to be applicable, accessible and relatable. I make a point of doing this in my own lessons, and believe that all teachers should be made to adapt this notion into their lesson plans. Whether it be a general teaching related to the scheme of work, or a suitable video at the end of each lesson (I personally use powerful, handpicked pieces of spoken word as an English teacher to convey SMSC, and it has proved quite successful), I encourage all teachers to make this a prerequisite in lesson planning.

Thank you all for taking time to read this post. I leave you with a recent quote from one of these spoken word videos that I have shown my students not long ago linked to the Social/Cultural/Moral aspects of SMSC:

"DO NOT BE AFRAID TO DEFY CONVENTION, DO NOT BE AFRAID TO DESTROY SYSTEMS THAT KILL ART AND YOUR SOULS, DO NOT BE AFRAID TO BE HUNGRY AND DO NOT BE AFRAID TO WALK ALONE IF NECESSARY - BECAUSE ON A TIGHT ROPE, WE ALL WALK ALONE" - Shah Rukh Khan