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Promoting social, moral, spiritual and cultural development

We’ve always taken your child’s social, moral, spiritual and cultural development seriously – and we’ve been successful, too.  Ofsted (November, 2011) judges us to be outstanding in this area, noting:

Their outstanding behaviour, together with their maturity as members of the school community, is reflected in their respect for different cultures. This leads to outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. A typical comment from pupils is that, ‘in this school we are all equal. We treat each other from different religions equally’. 

But what do the terms ‘social development’, ‘moral development’, ‘spiritual development’ and ‘cultural development’ mean?  When I seek your views on this area of our work in the annual survey of parents and carers, we typically get fewer responses for this question – I wonder if it’s because of the slightly mysterious nature of of terms!

Here’s how the Department for Education define the four aspects, and some comments (in italics) about how we’re promoting them at Moortown Primary School, especially through the homework tasks we set.

Social development

Pupils’ social development involves pupils acquiring an understanding of the responsibilities and rights of being members of families and communities (local, national and global), and an ability to relate to others and to work with others for the common good. They display a sense of belonging and an increasing willingness to participate. They develop the knowledge, skills, understanding, qualities and attitudes they need to make an active contribution to the democratic process in each of their communities.

It’s wrong to think that the best learning happens in a silent classroom!  At Moortown Primary, our classes are often buzzing with talk – talk for learning, that is.  We believe that lots of speaking and listening between pupils is vital – it’s a life skill and a great learning tool, too: it can help children develop their thoughts, check their answers for reassurance, embed their own learning… Linked closely with SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning), especially the current theme of Getting On, social development is happening all the time at Moortown Primary.  Teachers often set homework based around the SEAL theme; at the time of writing, for example, Mr Wilks and Mr Redfearn have asked the Year 3 and 4 children to do some Talk Time on different ways to get on with friends.  Next week, children in all classes are asked to consider bullying: what it is, what types of bullying there are, and how we can stop and prevent it.  Again, this stems from our SEAL themes and promotes social development.

Moral development

Pupils’ moral development involves pupils acquiring an understanding of the difference between right and wrong and of moral conflict, a concern for others and the will to do what is right. They are able and willing to reflect on the consequences of their actions and learn how to forgive themselves and others. They develop the knowledge, skills and understanding, qualities and attitudes they need in order to make responsible moral decisions and act on them.

Talk Time homework is the perfect way to have a healthy debate about a moral issue, and recently all the teachers in school set a moral question to consider at home: older children considered whether everyone should be paid the same wage (fitting in perfectly to their Big Topic, Rich and Poor); Y3 and Y4 children considered if households should have more than one car (linked to the All Aboard! Big Topic); and children in Key Stage One pondered whether animals should perform in circuses (which stems from the Roll Up! Roll Up! Big Topic).  As always with Talk Time homework, opinions which children have heard and considered at home (and hopefully some rich language, such as words like ‘Nevertheless,…’ and phrases like ‘I agree with most of what you say, but…’) are then a central part of class discussions.  Theses sorts of discussions, at both home and school, promotes social development, too! 

Spiritual development

Pupils’ spiritual development involves the growth of their sense of self, their unique potential, their understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, and their will to achieve. As their curiosity about themselves and their place in the world increases, they try to answer for themselves some of life’s fundamental questions. They develop the knowledge, skills, understanding, qualities and attitudes they need to foster their own inner lives and non-material wellbeing.

As well as the obvious ways to promote this through Religious Education and assemblies, we recently asked children to respond to what a religious festival means to them. This was a creative homework: I can show what Eid or Diwali means to me and my community.  Teachers were very impressed by the quality of the homework.  Later in the year, we’ll repeat this homework task for festivals from the Jewish and Christian faith.

Cultural development

Pupils’ cultural development involves pupils acquiring an understanding of cultural traditions and an ability to appreciate and respond to a variety of aesthetic experiences. They acquire a respect for their own culture and that of others, an interest in others’ ways of doing things and curiosity about differences. They develop the knowledge, skills, understanding, qualities and attitudes they need to understand, appreciate and contribute to culture.

We value and respect children from all faiths.  Importantly, we value and respect children with no particular faith, too.  As an alternative to the homework described above, children might have chosen to respond from a cultural prompt: I can respond to a book I’ve recently read.  Again, the quality of the homework was great.  Later in the year, there will be an opportunity to respond to a film or television programme (your child’s chance to become a film or TV critic!) and to a work of art. 

As always, if you’d like to know more about this or any other aspect of the teaching and learning at Moortown Primary, please do contact me.

Can cakes be part of a healthy school?

In the last newsletter, there was an updated list of key dates for the year ahead.  The new dates included two PTA cake sales.

Following this, someone questioned whether we, as a healthy school, should hold such cake sales.  This is a good question – the more prompts we have to reflect on our practice, the better.  And the more prompts for parents, carers, pupils and staff to reflect on our diets and lifestyles, the better, too.

I like to think that it’s better to think about healthy and unhealthy diets rather than healthy and unhealthy foods.  Broccoli is a healthy food, but if we were to eat it all the time at the expense of other vegetables, our diets would be missing out.  The same goes for all food – a broad and balanced diet is what’s needed.  You can learn more with your child about the food pyramid, the eat well plate and look at our own guidance for healthy packed lunches for more advice.

So… My thoughts are that yes, cakes aren’t particularly healthy, but as an occasional treat, for most people, they’re fine.  After all, food containing fats and sugars do feature in the food pyramid and the eat well plate – just in a small amount.

That’s why the PTA’s two cake stalls are held with my full approval.  (At the same time, don’t forget, you’ll also have the opportunity to view some of the children’s work.)

New SEAL theme - Getting on

The SEAL theme Getting On covers four main aspects:

• developing the social skills of friendship
• working well together in a group
• managing anger
• resolving conflict

Group work takes place across all lessons and even at lunchtime and playtimes.  Some questions for children to consider are:

• Did everyone take turns?
• Did everyone listen to what other people thought?
• Did each person have chance to tell the group what they thought?
• If people had different ideas could the group reach a compromise?

The key areas of learning throughout this theme are empathy, managing feelings and social skills.

Within this theme is Antibullying Week, 19 November – 23 November.

New beginnings

“On my first day I felt excited and now I still feel the same happiness,” is one of the quotes from our new children talking about their new beginning at Moortown Primary School.

Is your child getting enough sleep?

Growing evidence suggests our children are losing out on sleep – with significant side-effects.

There is growing evidence that today’s children — particularly pre-teens and teenagers — are sleeping less than previous generations. A recent survey of 4,000 parents revealed that the average bedtime for a 10-year-old was 10.30pm, rising to midnight for a 15-year-old; 74 per cent of their parents thought that seven hours a night was enough.  However, a quick search on the internet reveals most sleep experts recommend primary children should be sleeping 10-11 hours each night.

Even a modest lack of sleep among children has been shown to have startling effects: in a study of children aged 10 and 12, those told to sleep on average 41 minutes less than usual for several nights were then tested for memory, reaction times and attention. They were found to be the equivalent of two years behind their classmates, who got 35 minutes more sleep a night than usual. A study of 3,000 US teenagers showed that those getting school marks between C and F were going to bed 40 minutes later than the students with As and Bs, and were also reporting more depressive moods.

Research shows that the number one culprit for this is technology before sleep. Televisions, games consoles, mobiles etc are too much of a temptation for many. This has the twin effects of pushing bedtime later and stimulating the brain at a time when it should be winding down. The bright light from the screen can also stop the body producing the hormone melatonin, which prepares us for sleep.

Below, sleep experts at Millpond Sleep Clinic set out some useful tips…

Bedtime: the six golden rules

1 Observe the one hour wind-down period, just as we did when they were toddlers. No homework within an hour of sleep; the best time is either after school or straight after dinner.

2 Limit screens: all screens off 30-60 minutes before sleep, and ideally devices should be on the landing a minimum of 30 minutes before sleep. Don’t be deceived if teenagers say their brains have evolved to ignore the phone in their room. “Anything in the bedroom will disturb you — people sleeping together always have poorer quality sleep than if they had slept alone and if we haven’t evolved to get used to that then it’s unlikely that we would have evolved to sleep with our smartphones,” Dr Chris Idzikowski, director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, says.

3 Don’t go to bed hungry, but don’t eat a full meal within an hour of bed, either, as the digestive process delays sleep. Foods containing the amino acid tryptophan (bananas, chicken/turkey, wholegrain cereals and milk) are often cited as a sleep aid although many scientists say there is little evidence for their efficacy. “Whether tryptophan works or not, a glass of milk and toast or an oat biscuit with a banana an hour before bed is a healthy snack, so you won’t lose anything,” Mandy Gurney says. Avoid foods with refined sugar and caffeine.

4 Don’t begin in-depth conversations about life, exams and the universe in the last hour before bed, as social interaction is the most potent brain stimulation that exists.

5 Stop exercising three hours before sleep. Body temperature begins falling around the onset of sleep, but exercise keeps it high and delays sleep. “Exercise keeps your body temperature high and it’s also a stressor for the body, which keeps you awake,” Idzikowski says.

6 Keep the same bedtime rituals; the body knows what to expect and relaxes. A hot bath followed by quiet reading is the best way to ready the body. Rooms should be cool, quiet and dark. “A regularity of routine is amazingly useful,” Idzikowski says.

Recycle at Moortown

You can now recycle small waste electrical and electronic equipment at Moortown – there’s a recycling unit in the front area of school.

The significance of this new initiative was highlighted in a recent survey carried out on behalf of Recycle Now.  It revealed a staggering 94% of people have broken electrical appliances simply gathering dust somewhere around the house. Only one third of us recycle electrical appliances and a further 10 per cent put redundant / unused electrical appliances straight in the bin. People under 35 are 50% less likely to have recycled at least one small electrical item than those over 35.

The types of electrical items that can be collected through the new scheme include:

• battery operated and electrical toys
• remote controls
• CD players and radios
• hairdryers and hair straighteners
• shavers
• clocks and watches
• small electric fans
• computer keyboards and internet boxes
• small kitchen appliances like toasters, kettles and irons
• DIY and garden electrical tools
• DVD players
• video cameras
• electrical cables
• phones
• electric toothbrushes

Please note, we can’t accept older style (CRT) TV and computer monitors, microwave ovens, car batteries or items used in businesses.

To get the scheme off to the best possible start, Leeds has introduced a scheme to recognize the three best performing schools each term who achieve the highest collection weights.  These schools will receive cash prizes of £500, £300 and £200, ring-fenced for spending on environmental improvements in school.

And, if we fill the free-cycling bank by the October half term, we’ll receive a reward of £50 to spend on environmental improvements in school.

PE links with Allerton Grange

We work closely with Allerton Grange to arrange PE activities for each class. 

Throughout the year, Year 1 to Year 6 will be taking part in sessions led by the Sports and Dance leaders at Allerton Grange.

The visits take place during the school day and teachers will inform their class nearer to the time.

Breakfast, lunch and water to fuel your brain

This week we’ve found out how a healthy, balanced diet and good hydration provides us with the energy our brain needs to function throughout the day.

Nutritionists believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but what children eat can be just as crucial.   Breakfast cereals and foods rich in whole grains, fibre and protein and low in added sugar may boost attention span, concentration and memory and prevent children having a mid morning energy drop. http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/healthy_eating/breakfast.html

Fruit at playtime, provided free for Reception and Key Stage 1 and the only snack allowed at Key Stage 2 playtime, can provide an energy boost for the rest of the morning.  Remember the weekly fruit tuckshop on Tuesdays is available to Key Stage 2 costing 20p per item.

A healthy, balanced lunch is also crucial to refuel the brain for the afternoon’s learning and this week children, who bring a packed lunch to school, have been given a copy of our Guide for Healthy Packed Lunches (https://www.moortown.leeds.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/packed-lunch-guidance.pdf).  The guide was launched in September 2010 but may not have been seen by children new to the school or children who may have previously had school dinners.

The importance of hydration for the brain, to maximise learning, has been another focus of our Brain Box week.  Children need to have a water bottle to keep in their classroom to allow regular water breaks throughout the day.  This should be taken home weekly to be cleaned.  Water is also provided at lunchtime for packed lunches and school dinners.

As well as regular exercise and opportunities for relaxation these factors all contribute to a healthy brain!

Better brains with more sleep

‘Your brain needs lots of sleep to repair itself and to organise and sort everything you have learnt’… One of the messages in the Good-night guide for children, published by The Sleep Council, sent home today, at the end of Brain Box week.

Research carried out by The Sleep Council revealed that lack of sleep among primary school children was having a devastating effect in schools with nine out of 10 teachers (92%) complaining that pupils were so tired they were unable to pay attention in class.  More than a third (38%) said lack of sleep among youngsters is a daily problem for them.

This week, classes have been looking at The Sleep Council’s Better Brains with More Sleep initiative where children are encouraged to learn tips on getting their full sleep quota and the factors that can affect it.

Our Big Topics begin...

We’ve had a busy few weeks with mini-topics and our themed week but our Big Topics will begin next week!

Our topics for this school year are:

Year 1 and 2

• Roll up! Roll up! Learning about the origins of the circus and how they have changed over time
• Treasure A new topic for 2012-2013, ‘Treasure’ will include lots of map-reading and adventure
• Ee Ie Ee Ie O! Learning about different types of farms and animals

Year 3 and 4

• All aboard! Learning about transport through the ages
• To infinity and beyond! A popular topic delving deep into space
• Food, glorious food! Another new topic for 2012-2013, ‘Food, glorious food’ will look at popular food in different cultures

Year 5 and 6

• Rich and poor Thinking about differences in lifestyle between rich and poor over time
• Theme parks Another new topic for this school year, ‘Theme parks’ is a roller-coaster ride which links all the key literacy learning the children have done in the past, from reports to recounts
• Chocolate A popular topic looking at aspects such as fair trade and how chocolate is made