SMSC in English

Spiritual development in English involves students acquiring insights into their own personal existence through literacy appreciation and analysis. Through reflection on literary works students consider the attribution of meaning to experience. Through careful selection of novels and plays students consider the belief that one’s inner resources provide the ability to rise above everyday experiences. Through empathy with characters students develop a growing understanding of how ideology contributes to personal identity. Students are provided with opportunities to extract meaning beyond the literal, consider alternative interpretation and hidden meanings while engaging with ideas in fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama. Students explore how choice of language and style affects implied and explicit meaning. Students are provided with opportunities to reflect on their own life and lives of others using diaries, journals, letters, biographies and autobiographies. Students experience a rich variety of quality language use, and learn how to use language in imaginative and original ways, drawing on their reading, and considering how words, usage and meaning change over time. 

Moral development in English involves students exploring and analysing appropriate texts which furnishes them with the knowledge and ability to question and reason, which enables them to develop their own value system and to make reasonable decisions on matters of personal integrity. Students develop an awareness that life throws up situations where what is right or wrong is not universally agreed. Novels and plays are selected that extend students’ ideas and their moral and emotional understanding. Through reflection on a writer’s presentation of ideas and the motivation and behaviour of characters, Students express informed personal opinions. Students learn to articulate their own attitudes and values through being provided with opportunities to discuss matters of personal concern, related to books and plays read in class. They are given opportunities to talk for a range of purposes including exploration and hypothesis, consideration of ideas, argument, debate and persuasion. In discussion they are encouraged to take different views into account and construct persuasive arguments. 

Social development in English involves students reading novels and short stories that offer perspectives on society and the community and their impact on the lives of individuals. Students are provided with opportunities to read texts that portray issues and events relating to contemporary life or past experience in ways that are interesting and challenging. In taking different roles in group discussions students are introduced to ways of negotiating consensus or agreeing to differ. Students are provided with opportunities to consider the coinage of new words and the origins of existing words, explore current influences on spoken and written language, examine attitudes to language use, and consider the vocabulary and grammar of Standard English and dialect variations. 

Cultural development in English involves short stories and plays being selected which encourage students to empathise with the feelings and experiences of others in order to develop their understanding of other people’s attitudes, ideas and behaviour. Students develop sensitive awareness of, and the ability to respond constructively to, the backgrounds, experiences, concerns, feelings and commitments of others through poetry, imagery, drama, role play, myth and historical narrative. 

Examples of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education in English include:- 

• Students being given the opportunity to compare their own culture and community with that which is different

• Students becoming aware of how different societies function and different social structures

• Students addressing issues of discrimination (race/gender/age) within texts

• Students being given the opportunity to develop empathy for characters and understand the feelings and emotions of characters in the text

• Students being encouraged to make reasoned judgements on moral dilemmas that occur in texts

• Students covering intangible concepts such as love, beauty and nature in poetry

• Students thinking through the consequences of actions – e.g. advertising, charitable campaigns or sensationalism in the media.