Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural Development (SMSC)

PSHCE
PSHE stands for Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education.  Despite being a non-statutory subject, we believe strongly that PSHCE underpins everything we do at St John’s, as it links very closely to the 5 core values that encompass our curriculum. In our PSHCE curriculum, we seek to promote self-esteem, self-discipline and encourage positive relationships. 

 Our PSHCE curriculum is divided into the following key areas:

• Safeguarding
• ABCD (Anti-bullying, Celebrating Difference) curriculum
• Citizenship including British Values
• SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning)
• SRE Spiral Curriculum (Sex and Relationships Education)

All pupils engage in weekly PSHE lessons, weekly circle time sessions and daily assemblies, all of which deliver the PSHE curriculum throughout the school.

SMSC
St John’s is a happy and caring community where everyone feels safe, secure and respected.  We are fully committed to the SMSC (spiritual, moral, social and cultural) agenda.   Pupils at St John’s explore core Christian values alongside their own beliefs and experiences, and are expected to respect the faiths, feelings and values of others.  Children are taught to recognise right and wrong, respect the law, and understand consequences; pupils regularly investigate moral and ethical issues and are taught to offer reasoned viewpoints.  All pupils are encouraged to use a range of social skills throughout the day, and are shown strategies to resolve conflict in a restorative manner.  We also aim to develop an appreciation of the diversity and richness of cultures, and also the world around us.

British Values
In accordance with the Department of Education, we aim to actively promote British Values in schools, to ensure that young people leave school prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils are encouraged to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect and tolerance, and understand that while different people may hold different views about what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, all people living in England are subject to its law.

The Key Values are:

• democracy
• rule of law
• individual liberty
• mutual respect
• tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

In line with the promotion and teaching of British Values, St John’s has its own School Council.  The School Council is a group of pupils who are elected by their classmates  through a democratic vote.  The role of the School Council is to represent the voice of the pupils and help to bring positive change to the school!