Personal Development

Our Spiritual, Moral, Social, Cultural Curriculum and how we promote Fundamental British Values

At Newton Village Academy, we value SMSC. We are inclusive and diverse. We not only actively promote the spiritual, moral, social, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at our school – they sit at the very heart of everything we do! 

The SMSC curriculum can be described as the “hidden curriculum”. It is all the things that we do at Newton Village Academy to build up children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding, thoughts and experiences.  It is not taught as a discrete lesson, rather it may be part of RE, PE, PSHE/RSE and part of the ethos of the school which children experience daily. It is woven into our behaviour expectations and our attitudes in school.

We want to create confident, responsible, and well-rounded adults who have an aspiration for self-improvement and can compete equally with their peers in a world beyond school life in modern day Britain.

We want our children to remember their SMSC lessons in our school, to cherish these memories and embrace the opportunities they are presented with. Bringing SMSC alive is important at Newton Village Academy providing the children with real-life experiences, celebrations and visits.

 

Our pupils are encouraged to celebrate nationally recognised themed days. For example, in the Spring term, pupils and staff donned their green outfits, in awareness for World Mental Health. 

The whole school came together to raise awareness and improve our pupil’s understanding of Mental Health, leading to the whole school taking part in a Singing for Wellbeing show.

We have a pod on the school playground which is used for a range of activities including SERIS and ELSA sessions to help promote children’s wellbeing, resilience and friendships. Mrs Cowan who is the Senior Mental Health Lead in school takes groups of children out in weekly sessions to help promote these areas. She also works closely with other FPC schools on audits and action plans to improve mental health for both children and staff throughout the school. We also have a Family Worker who provides support to early help families, works 1-1 and with groups of children with drawing therapy, decider skills and offers parenting courses.

We have regular visits from the NSPCC to talk to the children about their ‘Speak Out, Stay Safe’ safeguarding programme. Staff and Governors have regular updated KCSafe, Prevent, Peer on Peer abuse and mutilation training. Children also take part in the KidSafe UK programme which delivers age appropriate, engaging, fun and effective safeguarding.

We enrich our pupils’ time in our school with memorable, unforgettable experiences and provide opportunities which are normally out of reach – these piques their interests and passions. For example, earlier this year some of our Year 5 and 6 children pupils visited St Paul’s CE Church to take part in an Interactive Life Talks Workshop, on its first visit to Barrow. Also, our pupils were given the opportunity to speak to our local PCSO’s regarding Online Safety. Nursery and Reception visit the Westmorland Show in the Autumn term, which is an important farming event for our community and families.

All children take part in a Farm to Fork activity every year which is ran by Ladies in Pigs. This gives children an insight into where our food comes from. It is about the added value we offer to really inspire our children. 

Children are also offered a range of alternative provisions such as Moorfields, Hoops and the Wellness and Greenacres farm. Children are involved in all inclusive sporting events to ensure everybody is included no matter what their ability.

The stunning geographical location of our town and county lends itself to numerous opportunities for children to explore the stunning Lake District National Park, the extensive coastline and our world-renowned industrial heritage. We make visits to local beaches, woodlands and historical sites such as Furness Abbey, the Dock Museum and the old mining area. 

However, due to the nature of our location we often need to travel further afield or bring visitors into school to provide the children with real life experiences and opportunities that cannot be accessed on our doorstop. For example, children visit Manchester, London and Chester to experience wider cultures and diversity. 

Other examples include children from Year 3 and 4 visiting The Manjushri Buddhist Centre. Where the children apply their learning of Buddhism and get the opportunity to mediate with a Buddhist Monk.