SMSC

Here at St Aldhelm's, we understand the importance of SMSC being integrated within every part of school life. It is imperative that pupils are aware of and discuss Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural issues with a well-rounded understanding of beliefs, values, and experiences. 

We work hard to ensure that, by the time pupils leave St Aldhelm's and move onto sixth form, college, apprenticeships or into the big wide world, they are confident young people with a strong moral code, as well as a deep understanding and respect for different beliefs. 

It is also imperative that pupils feel safe and supported during their time with us. 

Our School Values 

 All secondary school students go through many changes from year 7 to year 11, and it’s therefore our school values that, we believe, helps them transform from young teenagers to older youth ready for the world outside of our Academy walls! 

 Our values at St Aldhelm’s Academy are: 

 Assemblies 

 At St Aldhelms we believe it is important to regularly welcome visitors of all backgrounds into our school to speak to our pupils. We understand how powerful it can be hearing someone sharing a personal experience or testimony about a topic we are focusing on. When the focus is around careers, it reminds pupils that there are many opportunities and jobs for all different type of people! When it’s around faiths, it’s a reminder that we can listen, engage and speak  openly and freely about what is important to us. Sometimes the assembly will be around a characteristic such as being tenacious. Many times we have had visitors in sharing examples of how life has thrown surprises along the way and how these barriers or speed bumps can be overcome! A lesson we all need to be constantly reminded of! 

We regularly have visitors from the emergency services sharing advice on how to keep safe, whether this is online, making sensible decisions, or thinking about fire safety, or the immediate area pupils live in and how best to look after themselves. All of our visitors make a huge contribution to our values of Belong, Explore and flourish! 

 Tutor Time

 The tutor time program is to support the development and education of students. Students will have activities linked to English, through our oracy sessions, as well as maths. Tutor time is also an opportunity to continue the education of our PSHE program by education based on national weeks and week. Such as careers and apprenticeships weeks, black history month, LGBTQ+ month, mental health awareness week and Remembrance Day. 

 The academy has also bought into a Lyfta program. Lyfta is a program which has been created to create a culture consciousness. It tells stories, through short texts and videos, to exposure our students to how other people live around the world. The aim of watching the videos, and reading the texts, is for students to discuss other people’s experiences as well as building understanding and awareness for the lives lived in other cultures. To find out further information about Lyfta please follow this link to their website

Lyfta: Stories that connect us 

 There is a 30 minute tutor time in the morning, allowing all pupils to have an opportunity to speak their views on issues around SMSC, listen to visitors, have a ‘go to’ teacher should they have concerns or worries, as well as a bonding opportunity with the members of their tutor groups.  These sessions are also used for pupils to receive any important messages from their Head of Year.  

 Student Council

At St Aldhelm's Academy, all students across every year group have the opportunity to stand for the student council, where they can represent their peers, voice their ideas, and help drive new initiatives within the school community. This inclusive process encourages active participation, empowering students to become leaders and contribute to positive change.

To begin, every student interested in running for the student council prepares and delivers a two-minute speech to their year group, outlining their goals and vision. This experience not only fosters public speaking skills but also allows students to reflect on how they can contribute to improving the school environment. After the speeches, a democratic voting process takes place, with ballots held to ensure that every student has a say in selecting their representatives. The students who receive the most votes proudly join our school council, becoming key voices for their peers in school-wide decisions.

By giving every student the chance to stand for council and participate in these elections, we are not only promoting leadership and responsibility but also fostering a culture of collaboration and active citizenship that will benefit our school for years to come.