SMSC

SMSC

At Whitehouse Community Primary School, our vision is to

“enable everyone to thrive and achieve their full potential”

As such, we aim to provide all the members of our school community with an inclusive, welcoming and exciting learning and working environment within which they can be happy, thrive and prosper. We are fully committed to a holistic approach to learning which provides numerous opportunities to enhance the Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development of pupils whilst promoting the fundamental British Values of Democracy, Rule of Law, Individual Liberty, Respect and Tolerance.

Intent of our SMSC Provision

We recognise that the personal development of pupils spiritually, morally, socially and culturally plays a significant part in their ability to learn and achieve. We strive to create a learning environment which promotes respect, diversity and self-awareness and equips all of our pupils with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values they will need to succeed in their future lives. We aim to provide a balanced and rich education that gives our children opportunities to explore and develop their own values and beliefs, spiritual awareness, high standards of personal behaviour, a positive caring attitude towards other people, an understanding of their social and cultural traditions and an appreciation of the diversity and richness of other cultures.

Implementation of our SMSC Provision

SMSC has been a whole school priority since February 2017 with the appointment of an SMSC Governor as well as a Parental Engagement Governor. All members of the school community are involved in the delivery of SMSC and British Values and receive regular staff training and updates. At Whitehouse Community Primary School, we aim to furnish pupils with a range of exciting learning opportunities which will enable them to develop the attitudes and skills necessary for them to grow into responsible, happy and productive individuals and citizens. This is achieved through an integrated approach to SMSC as illustrated below.

Our School Vision Statement places the whole child at the centre of the learning and all of our school policies are implemented with this in mind, showing consideration of our pupil’s physical and emotional safety. We are a Thrive school and, as such, we closely monitor the social and emotional wellbeing of our children, putting support in place where necessary. Our Golden Rules and Whitehouse Way provide a strong moral compass to children in terms of how they should behave in and out of lessons.

At Whitehouse we have created our own tailored rich and broad curriculum which is constantly reviewed to closely match the experiences, needs, interests and life goals of the children and families we serve. All staff are encouraged to consider SMSC learning opportunities in all lessons and activities and staff are encouraged to identify and reference SMSC learning target areas on their lesson plans. Our schedule of carefully planned assemblies enable pupils to reflect upon a range of world-wide and local topical SMSC issues and we offer an array of morning, lunch and after-school clubs which reflect our pupils’ needs, interests and life goals. Many pupils are encouraged to represent their school in a range of local sporting fixtures and tournaments which boosts their confidence and broadens their experiences. Our pupils also enjoy regular days out, residential trips and visits from outside guests. These opportunities reinforce the learning that takes place in the classroom and maximises opportunities for pupils to find something they excel at; thus acting as a powerful incentive for pupils to work hard to reach their own life goals.

The school has, upon time, built a strong working relationship with the local community (parents, church, local businesses, local schools, organisations and charities) which it regularly calls upon to enhance pupils' learning. We are committed to enhancing environmental awareness through the creation of an Eco-Committee and we regularly support a range of charities chosen by the children. At Whitehouse, we are very keen to promote Democracy. Staff, parents and pupils are regularly encouraged to provide their views which are routinely taken into account as part of the school’s decision-making process. In addition to this, we often hold whole school events such as our "Aim High Career Day” or “Healthy Body and Mind Day” which bring the whole school community together and provide a memorable and meaningful context within which pupils can live their school’s values. Pupils are also given the chance to gain valuable life skills by taking part in a whole range of volunteering Schemes in and outside of lessons (School Parliament, Prefects, TOAST Squad, Sports' Leaders, House Captains, Eco-Committee).

At Whitehouse, we use a range of nationally-recognised accreditations to improve and sustain our SMSC standards over time (Families First Accreditation (2017), EAL Academy Award (2019), SMSC Quality Mark (2020) and Rights Respecting School Award (application pending).

Impact of our SMSC Provision

Through a well thought out and carefully planned SMSC provision, the school aims to provide a learning environment within which:

Pupils are happy, confident, resilient and independent;
Positive and respectful relationships exist among pupils and with staff. As a result, children are safe and feel safe;
Pupils are eager to come to school, have a high attendance rate and are punctual to lessons;
Pupils, including those who have particular needs, behave and conduct themselves positively without disrupting the normal day-to-day life of the school;
Students are engaged in and committed to their learning, have developed effective study skills, are resilient to setbacks and take pride in their achievements;
Pupils know how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. They have an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships;
All pupils, including the most disadvantaged, are keen to take up opportunities which enable them to develop and stretch their talents and interests (clubs, volunteering opportunities); thus acquiring valuable life skills which will enable them to play an active role in Britain’s modern society;
Children have developed good social skills and are able to resolve conflicts independently;
Students are aware of the importance of democracy. They have grown a social conscience and use their voice effectively to challenge injustice and change things for the better in their school environment and beyond.

CODING FOR SMSC incl British Values and Whitehouse Way - 2019-2020.pdf

SMSC provision and monitoring - a whole-school responsibility

SMSC in the Academic Curriculum

Click to see our Exciting Learning Journeys

Some of our SMSC events

in 2019-2020

Check our Newsletters and Twitter account to see the wide range of activities and events which take place at Whitehouse.

Team Building Day - Scarecrow Competition - Thursday 28th November 2019

OUR SMSC VISION

Click here to view our SMSC Policy

At Whitehouse Community Primary School, our vision is to

“enable everyone to thrive and achieve their full potential”

As such, we aim to provide all the members of our school community with an inclusive, welcoming and exciting learning and working environment within which they can be happy, thrive and prosper.

At Whitehouse Primary School, we are fully committed to a holistic approach to learning which provides numerous opportunities to enhance the Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development of pupils whilst promoting the fundamental British Values of Democracy, Rule of Law, Individual Liberty, Respect and Tolerance.

OUR INTEGRATED APPROACH TO SMSC

At Whitehouse Community Primary School, we aim to furnish pupils with a range of exciting learning opportunities which will enable them to develop the attitudes and skills necessary for them to grow into responsible, happy and productive individuals and citizens. This is achieved through an integrated approach to SMSC as illustrated below.

Our Vision Statement places the whole individual at the centre of the learning

Our SMSC philosophy "We are all learners, we are all teachers" indicates that we are all responsible for our own learning but also have a key role to play in enhancing that of others.

Our School Policies ensure that there are clear procedures in place to ensure the smooth and safe running of the school as well as the safety of everybody within its walls.

The Thrive Approach ensures that the social and emotional development of children is closely monitored and that appropriate strategies are put in place to enhance the well being of all our pupils.

Pupils and staff have closely worked together to develop a set of School Rules (Golden Rules) and good Learning Behaviours (the Whitehouse Way) which provide a strong moral compass and sets outs clear guidelines as to how pupils should behave and conduct themselves to maximise their learning in and outside of lessons.

We aim to provide a rich and broad Curriculum which is closely matched to the experiences, needs, interests and life goals of the children we serve.

The Academic Curriculum is complemented and supplemented by a schedule of carefully planned Assemblies which provide opportunities for pupils to consider and reflect upon a range of topical spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues. Every week, parents are informed of the Assembly Theme through the Weekly Bulletin and encouraged to enhance their child's higher thinking skills by making it a topic of conversation at home.

We aim to offer an array of morning, lunch and after-school clubs.

Children enjoy day and residential trips which reinforce the learning taking place in the classroom and maximise opportunities for pupils to find something they excel at; thus improving self-esteem, raising aspirations and acting as a powerful incentive for pupils to work hard to reach their life goal.

Whole school events such as "PSHE Curriculum Day", Summer Fair”, “Christmas Fair”, “MacMillan Coffee Morning”, “World Book Day", "Sports’ Day” and “Red Nose Day” bring the whole school community together and provide a memorable and meaningful context within which pupils can live their school’s values.

Pupils are given the chance to gain valuable life skills by taking part in a whole range of volunteering Schemes in and outside of lessons (School Parliament, Prefects, TOAST Squad, Sports' Leaders, class monitors, book monitors etc)

The school is keen to promote Democracy with all school stakeholders being given the opportunity to play an active role in decision-making. Parents are encouraged to provide formal and informal feedback at Parents' Evening and through regular surveys. Pupil Voice is also becoming a strong feature of the school with an array of opportunities for pupils to influence the decisions that affect them. This is done either directly with pupils taking part in surveys or by providing feedback via focus groups as well as expressing their views indirectly through elected representatives such as the School Parliament; the election of which provide pupils with first-hand experience of the democratic process.

Whitehouse Community Primary School is committed to enhancing environmental awareness through its own practice. It is conserving energy by using solar panels and energy efficient light bulbs and promotes recycling in all areas of the school including classrooms, offices and even the Dinner Hall. Recycled materials are also routinely used for Art projects. On the other hand, children are encouraged, through the Academic and Broader Curriculum, to think about their own use of natural resources and their carbon footprint. With this in mind, Year 5 were recently provided with the opportunity to reflect on the impact of wastage on the environment when they recently visited the new local incinerator at Great Blakeham.

Pupils are encouraged to represent their school in a range of local sporting features and tournaments (football, netball, cross-country etc).

The school supports a range of charities and regularly raises money or provides donation for: FIND (Families in Need and Dignity), the Royal British Legion, Children in Need, MacMillan Nurses as well as shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.

The school has upon time built a strong working relationship with the local community (parents, church, local businesses, local schools, organisations and charities) which it regularly calls upon to enhance pupils' learning.