In accordance with The Department for Education we aim to actively promote British values in schools to ensure 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

• Spiritual development is the promotion of the elements of pupils which animate and sustain us.  It is about the development of a sense of identity, belonging, self-worth, meaning and purpose and the ability to reflect.
• Moral development is about the creation, largely by pupils, of a framework of values which regulates pupils’ behaviour, and about pupils’ understanding of society’s shared and agreed values.  It is about acquiring an understanding of right and wrong, and being able to apply this understanding within and outside school.  Moral development also includes pupils’ appreciation that different people hold different views on subjects, and being able to articulate their own opinions.
• Social development is the pupils’ ability to work effectively with each other in a school context, and participate constructively in the wider community.  It concerns the acquisition of the skills and qualities necessary to live and work together.  It includes developing an understanding of society’s institutions and pupils’ roles as citizens of the UK and the world.
• Cultural development is the celebration of pupils’ understanding and appreciation of their own and others’ cultures.  It includes being able to live in a rapidly changing global culture, increasingly influenced by developments in travel, technological and communication, and being able to cope with the impact of such changes.

The aims of an SMSC education are:

• to ensure pupils’ education at Cross Gates Primary School is holistic rather than focussed narrowly on purely academic aspects of learning.
• to provide pupils with a rounded education, including learning how to work and play together, understanding and respecting others’ points of view, respecting and applying rules and understanding why these exist.
• to prepare pupils to contribute to society and culture throughout their lives, and enable them to participate actively and positively in the life of the school, their local community and wider society.
• to encourage pupils to value themselves and their unique contributions to their own and others’ lives, and in turn to value and celebrate others and their qualities and abilities.

Working with parents, carers, governors and members of the community

It is important that parents and carers support what we are doing in school regarding the spiritual, cultural, moral and social skills of pupils. We encourage parents’ involvement through our ‘open door’ policy, newsletters, Twitter, assemblies and extra-curricular achievements are celebrated, and close home/school liaison.

Parents are also invited to attend meetings prior to pupils’ attendance on residential visits in order for parents to gain a fuller understanding of the social and cultural elements within such visits.