What’s Important To Me:
spiritual, moral, social and cultural
development through a study of
belief and belonging
Culham St Gabriel’s
September 2012
Aims:
 to show how RE can take a lead in proving
opportunities for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and
cultural development;
 to gain clarity on what might be meant by the key
terms;
 to consider questions of belief and belonging in the
RE classroom;
 to consider a case study of good practice in
relation to a KS2 series of lessons – showing how
elements of spiritual, moral, social and cultural
development can be provided through lesson
activities.
Who R U?
What more is there to you, than your name?’
BIRTHDAY
tone of
AGE
friendly? voice:
Where R U from?
SHOUT or
big or small?
whisper?
body language !
Character...
facial expressions?
sporty?
physical / non-physical
SMSCD: Subsidiary Guidance
Issued To Inspectors January 2012
 ‘Where a school does not provide the
National Curriculum and RE, inspectors will
need to fully explore the school’s reasons’;
 Defining smscd: see handout;
 Parent Engagement Policy.
Ofsted Report: Transforming religious education
The 2010 Ofsted ‘Long Report’ on RE: noted that,
‘in about six in ten of the schools visited, there were few opportunities for
students to explore the more spiritual aspects of the subject. For example,
they rarely engaged with challenging or evocative material drawn from
religious and belief traditions that might stimulate more profound feelings or
ideas.’
The Report stated that,
‘A positive contribution to spiritual development involves opportunities for pupils to:
develop a sense of fascination about themselves and the world around them;
explore and reflect on the more intangible and puzzling aspects of their
experience;
use imagination and creativity in their learning.
It is these aspects of learning which were often weakest where the provision for
RE was no better than satisfactory.’ (Ofsted, 2010, p.16)
Spiritual Development:
Signs of the following behaviour and/or attitudes are
an indication that more or wider opportunities for
spiritual development need to be provided:
indifference to others, their beliefs, values and
needs;
indifference to reflection;
over-concern with status and material rewards.
Moral Development:
Signs of the following behaviour and/or attitudes are
an indication that more or wider opportunities for
moral development need to be provided:
narrow-mindedness;
self-centredness.
Social Development:
Signs of the following behaviour and/or attitudes are
an indication that more or wider opportunities for
social development need to be provided:
use of offensive language;
refusal to accept responsibility for actions;
disrespectful behaviour;
disruptive behaviour;
refusal to work or attend lessons.
Cultural Development:
Signs of the following behaviour and/or attitudes are
an indication that more or wider opportunities for
cultural development need to be provided:
being dismissive or disrespectful of other people’s
deeply held beliefs, values and convictions;
indifference to cultural activities;
ignorance of the damage that can be done by
stereotyping and generalisation.
What is ‘spiritual development’ and
what is its place in education?
One approach to providing opportunities for pupils’ spiritual
development is to think of spiritual development in terms of a
person’s inner life (sense of awe, wonder, curiosity etc) and the
ways in which a spiritual life might be outwardly expressed (in
lack of concern for status, for example).
Some also talk of downward and upward and expressions of
spirituality, i.e., ‘down-to-earth’ and ‘aspirational’.
What is ‘spiritual development’ and
what is its place in education?
What are the signs of a ‘spiritually developed’ person?
Such a person might be observed, for example (inner life):
engaging in activities which involve listening, reflecting, puzzling, searching
for truth;
developing an understanding of their own feelings, likes and dislikes;
developing personal beliefs and values;
showing insights into deep questions about life, change and death;
engaging in prayer, meditation or worship.
What is ‘spiritual development’ and
what is its place in education?
What are the signs of a ‘spiritually developed’ person?
Such a person might be observed, for example (outward expression):
engaging in activities which involve questioning, valuing, creating,
envisioning, empathising, imagining;
immersing themselves in constructive work, sacrificing immediate self-
interest;
developing an understanding of their relationships with those near and far;
enjoying exploring diversity and difference;
being involved with a faith or belief community .
ART & DESIGN: Inner Life
 reflecting on the power and mystery of art to create feelings of
sadness, anger, fear, humour, happiness in both figurative and abstract
work;
 responding personally through their own feelings and preferences to
paintings, sculptures, artefacts and buildings;
 developing beliefs about the role of art and design in human life and
society;
 making connections between examples of art and themes of life,
change and death.
ART & DESIGN: Outward Expression
 valuing art and design from other cultures and times;
 investigating art from unfamiliar cultures – why was it made, what was
its purpose?;
 creating their own art and designs and developing their understanding
of symbolism to communicate ideas;
 exploring and experimenting with ideas, materials, and processes;
 making connections between art and design from different cultures
with their own work;
 enjoying the diversity and difference in art and design.
What’s Important To Me:
SMSCD opportunities in a KS2
scheme of learning for RE
Identify smscd in the scheme of learning:
 spiritual:
 moral:
 social:
 cultural:
Some values in religion/belief
The (Para-) Olympic Values
 Justice
 Respect / Fair Play
 Love
 Excellence
 Forgiveness
 Friendship
 Courage
 Courage
 Duty
 Determination
 Self-sacrifice
 Inspiration
 Mercy
 Equality