At The Dorcan Academy we have designed our SMSC (Social, Moral, Spiritual, Cultural) programme to fit in with our ethos and values. Our aim is to:
Four times a year we hold a Growth Mindset day, with the purpose of supporting students’ wellbeing, both mentally and physically, preparing students for the future and enabling opportunities to learn new things through fun, creative enrichment activities outside of the normal school timetable.
Our tutor programme is bespoke to each year group focusing on the needs of the students; preparing them fully for life in the world, work and their wellbeing and developing them as model citizens. The tutor programme provides opportunities for students to develop character and self-reflect through a range of activities, for example, how our character virtues can be applied in their day-to-day lives and in the future. The tutor programme also links into our weekly assembly themes which cover a range of topics both locally and nationally.
During Friday’s tutor session students participate in House activities which enables them to model and demonstrate the academy core values of Belonging, Purpose, Aspiration, Perseverance and Achievement and our character virtues. Students work together to compete against the other houses in a range of competitions, with the aim being to win as many points as possible for their House. At the end of the year everyone joins together for a celebration assembly where the winning house is awarded the House cup.
As well as the weekly SMSC tutor programme, students experience SMSC throughout the curriculum, with schemes of work being linked to SMSC themes; this supports the Skills for Life lessons. Our Skills for Life lessons teach students PSHE, SMSC, British Values and SRE. Through these lessons students become well rounded, model students ready to deal with the challenges of life as a teenager and beyond.
Furthermore, we encourage students to take on leadership roles within the school, whether this be as student ambassadors, House captains, prefects in year 10 and 11, peer tutors or as a member of one of our leadership working parties linked to the academy development plan. We also encourage students to participate in extra-curricular activities, which enables them to demonstrate true Dorcan and SMSC values.