Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development

At Whitegate C/E Primary, we promote Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural awareness through everything we do and in everything we do. We know that wisdom is not just developed through the acquisition of knowledge, but it is gained through having an understanding of the world around you and the impact you can have on it. In order to prepare our precious pupils for life in a multi-cultural world, it is our duty to support parents in giving pupils the foundations of their personal development. This falls in four main areas:

Spiritual Development

As a school, we believe that our identify resides in our spirituality. We believe that we are all born spiritual beings and it is this spirit that provides us all with the basis to answer the question: “who am I?” We aim to provide learning opportunities that will enable pupils to:

• understand we live in a spiritual world;
• appreciate how unique they all are as we all have a spirit;
• learn how understanding their selves strengthens their ability to develop character;
• identify and praise other people’s gifts (such as kindness, thankfulness and patience, etc.);
• feel ‘belonging’ within a spiritually aware community that nurtures and loves every member for who they are;
• sustain their self-esteem in their learning experience;
• develop their capacity for critical and independent thought;
• foster their emotional life and express their feelings;
• experience moments of stillness and reflection;
• discuss their beliefs, feelings, values and responses to personal experiences;
• form and maintain worthwhile and satisfying relationships;
• reflect on, consider and celebrate the wonders and mysteries of life

Moral Development

As a school we believe that moral development is to understand the difference between right and wrong, being conscious of your own actions and decisions and the consequences these have. In the pursuit of cultivating wise pupils who distinguish right from wrong, we believe that it is our duty to support parents in providing children with learning opportunities that support our children’s development into moral beings. We aim to provide learning opportunities that will enable pupils to:

• recognise the unique value of each individual;
• listen and respond appropriately to the views of others;
• gain the confidence to cope with setbacks and learn from mistakes;
• have reasons for the why we believe something to be right or wrong;
• accept that whilst others make wrong choices, we do to;
• take responsibility for our mistakes;
• take initiative and act responsibly with consideration for others;
• distinguish between right and wrong;
• show respect for the environment;
• make informed and independent judgements.

Social Development

As a school we believe that social development is the ability to confidently communicate with, and respect, all walks of life regardless of race, religion, gender or age, whilst remaining part of our British heritage. We believe that there is value in our British Values but that above all else, we should follow the example of Jesus in Mark 12:28-31: love God and love others as we would wish to be treated.  We aim to provide learning opportunities that will enable pupils to:

• develop an understanding of their individual and group identity;
• appreciate that laws and rules are in place for a reason;
• understand that they have a role to play in a democratic society;
• accept that we are all uniquely made and that we all hold profoundly different opinions;
• explore the responsibility we have to use our freedom and liberty to make the world a better place;
• create a habit of respecting others first;
• learn about service in the school and the wider community;
• develop an understanding of what it means to be British.

Cultural Development

As a school we believe that cultural development is being proud to be part of a culture and respecting and tolerating the views of others. We are unique and bring our own opinions and beliefs to our communities. As a Christian school, we follow the example of Jesus by treating others as we wish to be treated (Matthew 7:12). With this as our model, we aspire to support our parents in offering children rich and varied opportunities to learn about other people’s points of views and to challenge preconceived ideas and discriminatory ideologies. We aim to provide learning opportunities that will enable pupils to:

• recognise the value and richness of cultural diversity in Britain, and how these influence individuals and society;
• understand and appreciate all that those of faiths (including those other than Christianity) and all they bring to the community both local and global;
• be willing to be critical thinkers and have reasons for what they believe;
• develop an understanding of the social and cultural environment;
• develop an understanding of Britain's local, national, European, Commonwealth and global dimensions.

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