The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils in Catholic schools in England

Abstract

Schools in England have a statutory duty to contribute to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of children. This paper reviews its historical background before considering the judgements of Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) inspections undertaken in the three academic years 2008–2011 of this aspect of the responsibilities in both primary and secondary schools. There are variations in the inspectors’ assessment of pupils’ spiritual, moral and cultural development across different school sectors and phases. The proportion of Catholic schools judged to be outstanding or good in this aspect of pupils’ learning is noticeably higher compared to that of ‘other’ schools in both primary and secondary phases. Secondary schools are judged as more effective than primary schools in both sectors. While this paper does not attempt an exhaustive analysis of the nature of SMSC development or critique its understanding by Ofsted, it does review the ways in which Ofsted inspectors come to their conclusions and the significance and limitations of their findings. It then speculates upon the possible reasons for their judgements and suggests areas for further study.