Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development
At Dove House Academy SMSC is developed through:
- Personalised curriculum
- Engaging in a range of social situations
- Developing an awareness and respect for diversity
- Developing an understanding of right and wrong
- Developing the communication skills to make choices about likes and dislikes in school, then educational visits in the wider community
- Taking part in sporting opportunities
- Taking part in cultural opportunities
- Taking part in artistic opportunities including the theatre, music and arts.
- Promoting British Values
British Values Statement
We promote British Values through our spiritual, moral, social and cultural education which permeates through the school’s curriculum and supports the holistic development of all our pupils. We recognise that such development is most successful when those values and attitudes are promoted and modelled by all staff. The curriculum offers broad and balanced opportunities, which are differentiated and personalised to meet the needs of each individual.
‘British Values’ have been identified as:
Democracy
Through the School Council we ensure that pupils are given a body to communicate and advocate on their behalf and to meaningfully contribute to the running and direction of the school.
Pastoral care provides pupils opportunities to be heard. By valuing each voice and by listening and responding to that voice we demonstrate to the pupils that their feelings and opinions are important.
Rule of Law
The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced in our support of positive behaviours at Dove House Academy.
Our expectations of behaviour teach pupils how to make decisions and choices that are acceptable to the school, community and society. Pupils are taught how to manage their behaviour and take responsibility for their actions. Pupils come to appreciate why the rules of the school exist because they are linked to their rights and responsibilities. We support pupils to understand the connection between actions and consequences.
Individual Liberty
Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices and to understand that others have the ability to do the same.
The school provides a safe and supportive environment for pupils to learn how to make the right choice. The school provides the consistent boundaries for pupils to make free choices safely.
Our empowering curriculum provides pupils with an understanding of how to exercise their rights and personal freedoms, how this comes with responsibilities, and advises on how to exercise these: for example, through e-safety and PHSE lessons.
Promoting independence is an important part of teaching our pupils how to understand themselves and their personal freedoms and those of others.
Mutual Respect
We expect all at Dove House Academy to treat everyone with dignity and recognise their value, even if they have different beliefs or backgrounds. We promote this through our behaviour policies, by celebrating achievements, and teaching that everyone deserves respect and to have their views heard. This is reflected in lessons, assemblies, the work of the School Council, and through activities that encourage empathy and understanding of diversity.
We promote each pupil's inclusion in activities, encouraging all pupils to work with each other showing teamwork, respect and harmony so that they recognise and appreciate everyone’s differences.
Our curriculum encourages our pupils to visit the community to meet with a range of people in a variety of situations. These include sports events, community events and whole school events. We believe it is important to facilitate opportunities to be part of the community as the pupils, families and staff have much to offer in the development of community cohesion.
Fair play and team spirit is encouraged all activities that pupils do.
Tolerance
We work with pupils to develop their acceptance and understanding that individuals with different faiths, beliefs, cultures, and backgrounds should be respected and not be subject to prejudice or discrimination. We encourage a genuine understanding and appreciation of diversity, and this is especially important as the school is located in an area of relatively low diversity.
Cultural appreciation and development form part of our curriculum.
We encourage participation in events and celebrations to broaden all pupils’ experiences and awareness of others. This is completed through awareness events with key themes and topics and celebrations from a range of faiths and world events.