1. Tony Eaude tony@edperspectives.org.uk www.edperspectives.org.uk
Going beyond the data- exploring what Governors need to know about Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development
Tony Eaude

2. A few questions to start
How often have you discussed SMSC in governors’ meetings?
How prominent has SMSC been in the school’s Ofsted reports?
What provision is there for children’s SMSC development?
What immediately comes to mind when you think about SMSC?

3. The context of legislation
SMSC (or very similar wording) has remained a central part of the aims of education in all significant general Education Acts since 1918, including those of 1944, 1988 and All maintained schools must meet the requirements set out in section 78 of the Education Act 2002 and provide ‘a balanced and broadly based curriculum which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of children and of society’ Independent schools (including academies and free schools) must meet the Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) development standard set out in the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2010, updated 2013.

4. The context of Ofsted
Para 104. A school is judged to have serious weaknesses because one or more of the key judgements is inadequate (grade 4) and/or there are important weaknesses in the provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
Para 141. Before making the final judgement on the overall effectiveness, inspectors must evaluate:
the effectiveness and impact of the provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
the extent to which the education provided by the school meets the needs of the range of pupils at the school including pupils who have disabilities and pupils who have special educational needs.
Para 145 Grade descriptors for overall effectiveness
Outstanding: The school’s thoughtful and wide-ranging promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their physical well-being enables pupils to thrive.
Good: Deliberate and effective action is taken to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their physical well-being.
Para 147 Effectiveness of leadership and management
SMSC is not mentioned as such but several aspects associated with SMSC are included among the criteria. SMSC is a crucial aspect of leadership and management and not something which should be the concern of just an individual or department. The promotion of fundamental British values is now within SMSC.

5. What does children’s SMSC development entail?
These are complex and contested ideas. A good simple summary can be found in the RSA report (2014) Schools with Soul: A New Approach to Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education. A longer discussion, mainly written for students, is Eaude (2008).
A few key points:
SMSC tends to be marginalised in practice, for many reasons including uncertainty what it is all about
Spiritual is not the same as religious (the idea of tethered/ untethered)
SMSC is about search of questions of meaning, identity and purpose which can be explored within or outside religious frameworks
While the idea of ‘awe and wonder’ may be helpful, remember that SMSC is about difficult as well as joyous and life-affirming issues
SMSC is inherently not reducible to measurement, though some indicators can be measured
SMSC is not a subject and not just to be covered in RE and/or PSHE
SMSC is usually seen as to do with aspects such as relationships, connectedness and ethos
SMSC is more about process than content and challenges many assumptions, for instance about what success in education entails and the emphasis on cognitive development.

6. How Ofsted defines SMSC (1)
142. The spiritual development of pupils is shown by their:
ability to be reflective about their own beliefs, religious or otherwise, that inform their perspective on life and their interest in and respect for different people’s faiths, feelings and values
sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them
use of imagination and creativity in their learning
willingness to reflect on their experiences.
143. The moral development of pupils is shown by their:
ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong and to readily apply this understanding in their own lives, recognise legal boundaries and, in so doing, respect the civil and criminal law of England
understanding of the consequences of their behaviour and actions
interest in investigating and offering reasoned views about moral and ethical issues and ability to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues.

7. How Ofsted defines SMSC (2)
144. The social development of pupils is shown by their:
use of a range of social skills in different contexts, for example working and socialising with other pupils, including those from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds
willingness to participate in a variety of communities and social settings, including by volunteering, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively
acceptance and engagement with the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs; they develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.
145. The cultural development of pupils is shown by their:
understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and those of others
understanding and appreciation of the range of different cultures within school and further afield as an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain
knowledge of Britain’s democratic parliamentary system and its central role in shaping our history and values, and in continuing to develop Britain
willingness to participate in and respond positively to artistic, musical, sporting and cultural opportunities
interest in exploring, improving understanding of and showing respect for different faiths and cultural diversity and the extent to which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity, as shown by their tolerance and attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities.

8. Implications and a few further questions
Are there any differences in faith/non-faith based schools?
Are there any differences in maintained/other schools?
How does SMSC link to fundamental British values and how do schools manifest their commitment to promote FBV?
‘The key reason for the marginalisation of pupils’ SMSC development is time – not so much time for provision, as time for reflection about purpose’ (RSA, 2014, p 16) How much do governors really think about what the school is trying to achieve?
Where should governors be looking for SMSC development to be taking place?
What are the practical issues this discussion raises and the different challenges in primary, secondary and special schools?
How can governors ensure that SMSC is, and stays, on the agenda in a world dominated by data?

9. References
Eaude, T. (2008) Children’s Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development – Primary and Early Years. Exeter: Learning Matters Ofsted (2018) School inspection handbook: Handbook for inspecting schools in England under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 available at handbook-from-september-2015 (updated April 2018) RSA (Royal Society of Arts) (2014) Schools with Soul: A New Approach to Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education available at articles/reports/schools- with-soul-a-new-approach-to-spiritualmoral- social-and-cultural-education