We believe that spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is about the values lived  by all members of our Abbot’s Hall family. It is especially important that all adults within our school model these values to colleagues, parents and pupils. We want our pupils to grow and flourish, become confident individuals, and appreciate their own worth and that of others.  Below are a few examples of the ways in which SMSC values are promoted, shared and lived. As a Unicef Rights Respecting School we are always developing opportunities for our learners to explore these values further.

• High quality assessment for learning: is promoted through many reflective opportunities, such as think/pair/share, talking partners and maths mates, thinking time, reflection corners in classrooms, time for silences and discussions, mind mapping, written and verbal feedback from adults through marking. We believe that these strategies create space for spiritual learning.
• Different Social Contexts: are facilitated for our pupils to enhance their social development. Examples of this include, cross generational projects such as , Welcome Wednesday and Friendly Friday when all family members are invited to participate in  learning, visits to local Elderly Care homes to sing and dance with residents, and ‘family’ seating at lunchtime, when older pupils support younger pupils with cutting food and modelling good manners. Our new Foundation Stage pupils are paired up with Year 6 reading buddies to support with additional reading opportunities at lunchtime.. Our feeder pre-school’s are invited for a picnic and play session during the summer term.

We support a range of charity projects to open pupils’ eyes to the different lifestyles and problems shared by children all over the world. We sent reading scheme books to the Melrose Paris Foundation in Sierra Leone. Our pupils were fortunate enough to have a new reading scheme but we wanted our old books to continue to be used by children eager to read. Melrose also visited our school to tell us about her project during a weekly visitor assembly. At Harvest time we collect food and household items to support the local food bank. We engage our learners with Black History Month, Red Nose Day, Comic Relief, Children in Need,  Stowmarket Story Trail, Stowmarket Christmas Tree Festival and other opportunities as they arise. As a Unicef Rights Respecting School we are always taking care to reinforce the message of celebrating differences and similarities within our local, national and global communities.

• UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award:  We currently have the Silver level of this award and are working towards the Gold accreditation. All staff make direct links to the Rights of the Child Articles in their planning and delivery of their lessons. Pupils are encouraged to identify connections with their rights at every opportunity. Classes share the Article of the Week during Collective Worship time and keep a scrap book of their responses to these topics. Phase leaders explore the Articles further during Phase Assemblies. The Silver Action Plan looks towards embedding the vocabulary and understanding of the Articles on all that we do at Abbot's Hall School. 
• All our Languages: The cultural diversity of Abbot’s Hall and the wider world is celebrated through our emphasis on languages. We hold an annual 'Languages Day' in Autumn Term. Pupils are encouraged to learn and share simple greetings in a range of languages. We ensure that our school community languages are all featured in the classrooms and daily routines  Staff and pupils have learnt some simple Makaton sign language. Basic communication such as asking to go to the toilet or asking if you are ‘ok’ can be shared through signing. Our Abbot’s Hall family celebrate all birthday’s in our Friday assembly. We sing and sign the birthday song.
•  Pupil Enterprise: During our Christmas Celebrations, each class is given a £15 budget to produce items to sell at our Christmas Fair. Pupils must calculate the cost of their product and ensure a small profit is made. Pupils must learn skills of negotiation and conflict resolution, as well as understanding money in a real life context.  Such activities develop teamwork and leadership skills.
•  UNICEF Rights Respecting School and Pupil Voice: Our Rights Respecting Steering Group  with the School Council and class council give pupils an insight in the way communities and societies function. Pupils vote for their class representatives through a democratic process.  The RRS council members hold regular meetings to discuss issues raised by pupils, for example ‘How to have 2 sittings at lunch time in a quicker time’, 'How Sports Ambassadors and Reading Buddies can engage pupils'  'What does it mean to have access to clean water'. They discuss the UNICEF Articles and then lead debates within their classroom about how this looks in our society.  Sports Ambassadors also act as representatives for each class. They aim to be good role models and also bring ideas and questions from their peers to meetings with our P.E. specialist teacher. Junior Sports Leaders assist with engagement in positive play opportunities at lunchtime. 
• Environmental: Pupils at Abbot’s Hall School have a respect and love for the outdoors promoted at every opportunity. The Forest Classroom and Forest School Project develops a sense of well-being and a fascination with the world around them. The outdoor space creates opportunities for a greater connection with Nature. A respect for Nature is developed through our Eco-School tradition. Pupils at Abbot’s Hall school are taught to recycle and reuse whenever possible. The Eco- Club act as Ambassadors for these values and ethos and remind us through their posters to switch off unnecessary lights and running taps. Children in Year 3 and 4 visit the Suffolk Farm Fair to learn more about how food travels from 'farm to fork'. We offer a 'Walking Bus' to and from the centre of town for pupils wishing to walk  to school rather than travel in a  car. This also helps with car parking spaces at school.

Visitor Assemblies

We are very lucky to be visited by a variety of local people to share their knowledge, faith, interests and community projects. This opportunity allows our pupils to feel a sense of belonging to the local area and to broaden their understanding of the world around them.