Spiritual development at St Thomas of Canterbury

At St Thomas’ our pupils are given regular opportunities to reflect on our Catholic faith and learn about the values and beliefs of other faiths. These opportunities are provided in Religious Education lessons, assemblies, visits to places of worship and through participation in weeks devoted to the study of other faiths. Prayer and worship play a key part in our pupils’ Catholic education and we aim to provide a range of opportunities to promote curiosity, mystery, awe and wonder. 

Moral development at St Thomas of Canterbury

At St Thomas’ our pupils have an excellent understanding of the difference between right and wrong. We expect every member of the school community to behave in a considerate way towards others. We treat all children fairly and apply our behaviour policy consistently whilst allowing for the differing needs of individual children. This is designed to promote positive pro-social behaviour, rather than merely deter anti-social behaviour.

Social development at St Thomas of Canterbury

At St Thomas’ our pupils develop their social skills and are given opportunities to experience roles of responsibility, including being: School Council representatives, house team captains, Y6 buddies, Lunchtime buddies and Chaplaincy team members.  Some of these are elected responsibilities and others are voluntary.

Our Catholic ethos and our pro-social behaviour policy ensure that our pupils are able to resolve conflicts effectively. Every class takes part in special learning activities during anti-bullying week and regular reminders are given to all children about how to respond to any type of bullying behaviour including cyberbullying.

Cultural development at St Thomas of Canterbury

At St Thomas’ our pupils understand and appreciate the cultural diversity that is represented within our school and parish community, and in Britain as a whole. Our RE programme (The Way, the Truth and the Life) is Catholic Christian but also acknowledges the importance of and understanding of people of many faiths. In nursery and reception all children learn about key festivals from across a range of traditions. As the children move into KS1 they learn about Judaism and at least one other faith. This understanding is expanded as pupils move through KS2 and widen their faith perspective. In RE as the children become older, in order to achieve at the higher levels they have to display an understanding of dilemmas and circumstance from the point of view of other Christians, non-Christians and non-believers. Developing a language to deal with discussions relating to diversity is an important skill developed throughout the school as is an understanding of what it means to be prejudiced. Each year we choose another faith to focus on as a school and endeavour to invite guest speakers in to share their experiences.

See attachment below for full SMSC Policy.