Why SMSC?

Introduction

What’s the purpose of the National Quality Mark for SMSC & British Values?

The aim of the Quality Mark is to help schools improve the Spiritual, Moral, Social, and Cultural (SMSC) development of children and young people and to enhance their learning, personal development and long-term life outcomes. Evidence underscores that improved SMSC provision for pupils also supports staff well-being.

This audit document has been created by a group of committed experts and highly experienced educational consultants; John Rees, Russell Stanley, David Brandrick, Emily Cotterill and Roy Huggins, working in conjunction with York University, who are keen to enable schools to improve SMSC provision for children and young people and the adults who work with and for them. We hope that schools will find this self-review audit document useful to support school improvement but also to meet the expectations of different inspection systems. This audit has been developed for all schools operating within the English teaching curriculum.

After completing this audit, schools can achieve recognition for their provision via the National Quality Mark for SMSC and British Values by seeking external validation through our specialist verification team, who will then award an appropriate grade based on your self-review and supporting evidence.

The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) published “Schools with Soul,” a seminal report that championed the integration of Spiritual, Moral, Social, and Cultural (SMSC) development as a cornerstone of the education system. In our current societal landscape, marked by nascent divisions and a growing need for mutual understanding, the emphasis on SMSC development is more critical than ever. It serves as a vital framework for fostering empathy, critical thinking, and a shared sense of community among young people, preparing them to navigate and contribute positively to a complex world.

The report noted that promoting pupils’ SMSC development benefits the entire school community by creating a more positive and inclusive environment. When children learn to reflect on their beliefs and values (spiritual and moral), they develop empathy, respect, and a strong sense of right and wrong. This reduces conflict and bullying and fosters climate of physical and emotional safety, which is of benefit to all.

Social development encourages cooperation, teamwork, and effective communication, essential skills for collaborative learning, building strong peer relationships and ultimately employability skills. Cultivating cultural understanding broadens pupils’ perspectives, allowing them to appreciate diversity and reject prejudice. This creates a welcoming atmosphere where all individuals feel valued and aids integration and social cohesion. As pupils mature and become more considerate and responsible citizens, they contribute to a harmonious community where everyone can thrive. Teachers benefit from more engaged and well-behaved learners, parents see their children grow into well-rounded individuals, and the school gains a positive reputation for nurturing both academic and personal growth.

Fostering children’s and young people’s Spiritual, Moral, Social, and Cultural (SMSC) development not only enriches their personal growth but also significantly enhances their future employment prospects. By nurturing these core competencies, we equip them with the essential skills and understanding needed to thrive and contribute meaningfully within our diverse and vibrant society.

As has been the case for many years under different inspection frameworks, under the renewed 2025 Ofsted Education Inspection Framework (EIF), the provision for SMSC remains a vital component of school evaluation, particularly within the Personal Development and Well-being evaluation area. The framework emphasises that schools must offer a curriculum that is an “entitlement for every pupil,” including those with SEND, and that SMSC development plays a key role in fostering inclusion, promoting British values, and addressing prejudice-motivated bullying.

Schools demonstrating strong SMSC provision are more likely to achieve higher grades in the Personal Development and Well-being category, which now includes explicit references to faiths, beliefs, and protected characteristics. Schools that demonstrate strong SMSC provision—through inclusive curriculum, respectful culture, and character education—are more likely to be graded as “strong standard” or “exceptional”.

Under the 2025 Independent School Standards (ISI), SMSC development is a statutory requirement and a cornerstone of inspection outcomes. It is enshrined in Part 2 of the Independent School Standards, which mandates that schools must actively promote pupils’ SMSC development as part of a broad and balanced curriculum.

According to ISI guidance, excellent SMSC provision “makes a vital contribution to relationships, the climate for learning and the skills that pupils need to be successful learners,” and is not an optional add-on but central to school improvement. Inspectors assess how well schools foster values such as democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. The standards emphasize that SMSC development should be embedded across the curriculum, pastoral care, and leadership strategy. Schools that demonstrate coherent, inclusive, and impactful SMSC provision are more likely to receive positive inspection outcomes, particularly in areas such as leadership and management, personal development, and safeguarding.

Preparing for the audit

To effectively audit and self-evaluate a school’s provision for Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) development, an SMSC lead should gather a variety and range of evidence from across school. This evidence will help assess the effectiveness of the school’s SMSC initiatives and ensure alignment with the eight main standards and expectations set out within this audit document and the Quality Mark.

These standards are:

Safeguarding & Induction
Leadership & Governance
Attendance
Behaviour (including Pastoral Support)
Inclusion
Curriculum
Personal Development
Developing Teaching & Learning

Gathering evidence for the SMSC Audit document

SMSC Policy and School Development Plan
– Review the school’s SMSC policy and how it aligns with the overall school vision and school development plan.
– Ensure that the policy reflects the school’s commitment to SMSC development and British Values.
Curriculum Documentation
– Collect curriculum maps or subject plans that outline how SMSC is integrated across all subjects.
– Relevant lesson plans or units of work that demonstrate the incorporation of SMSC themes.
Pupil Work Samples
– Compile examples of pupil work that showcase their understanding and engagement with SMSC topics.
– Include projects, essays and presentations that reflect SMSC learning outcomes.
Feedback from Pupils and Parents
– Conduct surveys or focus groups to gather pupil and parents’ feedback on their experiences related to SMSC.
– Analyse responses to understand their perceptions of SMSC provision and the school’s ethos and values.
– Collate any other sources of input from the school community that demonstrates their voice and opinions are heard.
Staff Training and Development Records
– Document any training sessions or professional development related to SMSC for staff.
– Evaluate how staff are equipped to deliver SMSC education effectively, and how any input is monitored.
Extra-Curricular Activities
– List extra-curricular activities that promote SMSC development, such as clubs, community projects, and cultural events.
– Assess pupil participation and feedback on these activities.
Partnerships and Community Engagement
– Gather evidence of partnerships with local organisations, charities, or community groups that support SMSC initiatives.
– Document any community events or projects that involve pupils.
Monitoring and Evaluation Reports
– Review any internal reports or evaluations that assess the effectiveness of SMSC provision.
– Include data on pupil outcomes related to SMSC development.
Ofsted Reports and External Evaluations
– Analyse findings from Ofsted inspections or other external evaluations that comment on SMSC provision.
– Use these insights to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
Case Studies or Testimonials
– Collect case studies or testimonials from pupils, parents and staff that highlight the impact of SMSC initiatives.
– Use these narratives to illustrate the real-world effects of SMSC education.

By gathering this evidence, an SMSC lead can begin to create a comprehensive picture of the school’s SMSC provision. This audit will not only help in evaluating current practices but also in identifying areas for development and improvement, ensuring that the school effectively nurtures the spiritual, moral, social and cultural growth. We have also included some examples of evidence that you could potentially use as your work through the audit.

Using the SMSC self-review audit document

Auditing the provision of a whole school approach to SMSC and fundamental British values is a significant task. Please don’t feel overwhelmed by the size of the document, just work your way through it sequentially, bearing in mind that you may wish to send a section to colleagues with a relevant responsibility or from a particular phase or faculty.

The SMSC lead should read through the audit self-review document and simply identify which of the four statements in each section best reflects your school’s approach for each of the standards and sub-standards. Where statements are made about pupils’ learning and development, this should be judged at an age or stage-appropriate level.

Individual statements are provided to demonstrate at which level of SMSC development your school is currently sitting based on the following levels:

Emerging – statements at this level indicate that a school is at the beginning of their SMSC development journey
Evolving – statements at this level indicate a school is beginning to develop and consider a stronger approach to SMSC
Established – statements at this level indicate that a school is secure in the provision of SMSC with many elements of good practice
Exemplary – statements at this level indicate that a school is providing the highest level of SMSC provision

It is important to note that each statement is designed to be cumulative; if you feel your school fully meets a statement in each sub-standard, please then move across to the next statement to see if your practice also meets this.

As this is a self-review audit designed to highlight both strengths and areas for improvement, it is important to be as honest and accurate as possible in order to gain a true reflection of SMSC-related provision. We suggest that SMSC leads then check their perceptions with appropriate colleagues and pupils and record their thinking on the ‘SMSC Review Record Sheet’. Schools should adopt a ‘best fit’ approach that relies on their professional judgement and available evidence. This is especially true for schools that specialise in providing for children with additional or special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The notes and SMSC Review Record sheet should be seen as an aide memoir for self-review and school improvement but can also form the basis of evidence for those schools who wish to seek external validation from members of our team and achieve the National Award for SMSC & British Values.

Next steps

Having completed this self-review audit, we hope that schools will be able to improve provision still further and ensure that:

SMSC development is identified by school-level data (e.g. collected from qualitative and quantitative surveys) that can be used to promote wellbeing and positive messages about normative behaviour. E.g. (97% of secondary school pupils do not smoke.)
Pupils have the appropriate skills and values to be able to contribute fully to their school and community.
Pupils’ SMSC development is based on need, appropriately resourced, and supported by staff CPD.
Staff wellbeing is prioritised to contribute to greater satisfaction, recruitment and retention.
Schools continue to help all members of their community flourish.

Validation

To be externally validated for the National Quality Mark for SMSC & British Values schools must be confident that they meet their statutory duties with regards to Safeguarding (see statements below) and should be able to provide evidence that they meet the criteria for approximately 80% of the overall level that they judge themselves to be at (i.e. Emerging, Evolving, Established or Exemplary.) School inspectors usually consider promoting FBV to be an essential part of SMSC, so if there are weaknesses in this area, this will therefore affect a school’s overall level. For example, if a school judged themselves to be meeting 80% of the criteria for the Established level of the audit, but was only working at Evolving level in relation to the standard on British Values, they would be awarded the Evolving level of the National Quality Mark for SMSC & British Values.

As part of the validation process, the verification team will also provide brief initial feedback to schools on the quality of their submission to support successful validation visits into schools.

Notes on the language use

The following terms are used throughout the document and are defined below:

Staff – everyone who works in the school including the admin team, caretaker, cleaners, lunch-time supervisors etc.
Pupil – all pupils on roll in the setting.
Teaching staff – everyone who teaches children in the school including teachers, supply teachers, TAs, HLTAs and SENCO.
School – this includes academies, PRUs, alternative provision, special schools, and almost any educational establishment teaching children between the age of 5 and 18 years. Some schools might be on separate sites, but separate settings must apply for the National Quality Mark for SMSC & British Values in their own right.
School community – all staff, governors, parents/carers, pupils and any other members of the community or organisations that regularly visit or work with the school