“Spiritual, Moral, Social & Cultural education flows through the school. The links between values and social and emotional behaviour are extremely strong and the maturity the children have in linking these areas to their academic learning is impressive. The overall atmosphere of this highly achieving, successful school is one of nurturing and care for the whole school community.”
In June 2019 we were awarded a prestigious Gold SMSC Quality Mark by the Citizen Foundation, one of only a handful, nationwide. In June 2023, we were again awarded the Gold Level National SMSC Quality Mark, for the second time. Spiritual, Moral, Social & Cultural (SMSC) development is at the heart of Hilden Oaks and is evident across the whole curriculum.
In the first assessment report, the verifier remarked that all the children she met at Hilden Oaks ‘spoke with such maturity, confidence and honesty.’ When asked to describe their school in one word the pupils replied; ‘wonderful, kind, mindful, outstanding, amazing, fantastic, loyal, excellent, phenomenal and thoughtful.’ They also spoke about the ‘family feeling’, their ‘enjoyment of learning’, and their ‘willingness to try new things because the school gives them the confidence.’
The report commented further ‘It is clear that SMSC is valued in every aspect of school life and it sits so organically within the Hilden Oak’s aims and values. The fact that the children are not only well versed on the school’s values and understand their importance, but also “value” them, is a real credit to the school.’
In addition, ‘There is positive and strong parental support. Parents could not have spoken more highly of the school. They shared a range of stories—highlighting how the school demonstrates so many aspects of SMSC provision every day and how the pupils take their experiences home to share.’ One parent said ‘The staff here don’t just know each child’s name, they know them as a person’.
We are delighted to have received this award twice, which recognises the care Hilden Oaks has for the whole school community. It links very closely with our values-based education, and helps the children work towards making a positive difference to society. As a result, their academic achievements are also excellent. During the second visit, the verifier remarked on the meeting she had with one of the trustees, where they had been ‘able to reflect together on Hilden Oaks growth in SMSC since 2019 and also consider the impact the pandemic had during that time’.
SMSC development is also a key area assessed by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) and Ofsted, who require schools ‘to think about the kind of people we aspire to be, the kind of world we aspire to create, and the kind of education we aspire to provide’
“Pupils across the school have an outstanding sense about the distinction between right and wrong... they take pride in demonstrating kind and thoughtful behaviour.”