At Willow Lane Community Primary School, we recognise that the personal development of pupils spiritually, morally, socially and culturally plays a significant part in their ability to learn and achieve. This is particularly important in the formative years and, as such, a large part of the responsibility for this sits with us as primary educators.
SMSC development ensures that we become individuals with integrity, social conscience and an appreciation for the world around us. It enables us to have a strong moral compass with a good understanding of right and wrong and the ability to make decisions that consider others. If SMSC is taught well, it contributes to a pupil’s overall personal development and their ability to be confident and articulate. This in turn leads to success and opens doors to their future. For these reasons, the development of our pupils in terms of SMSC is an essential driver across our Willow Lane Curriculum.
In addition to the focus on children’s SMSC development throughout the curriculum we have a relationships approach to behaviour across the school. We call this our ‘Willow Tree Way’ and behaviours are specifically taught across school. We recognise behaviour as a way of communicating needs and we understand that children are still growing and developing, and we support them in a positive manner to be able to leave our school with key skills and values that will support them long into their futures.