For our students to thrive in an increasingly complex and diverse world, they require the confidence, knowledge and skills to make effective decisions about their lives independently.
An effective personal development curriculum will allow our students to develop the attributes they need to stay healthy, be safe, prepare them for life and work as citizens in modern day Britain and help them to develop questioning minds and to challenge injustice.
Our personal development curriculum brings together essential aspects of Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE), Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development (SMSC), as well as Citizenship and British Values. The aims of our personal development curriculum are to educate our students in:
- Wellbeing through positive mental health and becoming happier
- Wellbeing through keeping safe, recognising and avoiding exploitation
- Wellbeing through respect, acceptance and equality
- Wellbeing through families, growing up positively and respectful sexual relationships
- Wellbeing through political understanding and empowerment and economic well being
- Wellbeing and positive mental health supported by physical health
We believe that through the personal development curriculum we can support our students in learning how to live happy, safe and secure lives now and in the future.
Throughout the whole curriculum students will learn how to be a responsible twenty first century good digital citizen, conducting all of their online activity with respect shown to others and ensuring they keep themselves safe.
Click here to view our Personal Development Curriculum Overview (currently being updated).
Personal Development is taught fortnightly through dedicated lessons, delivered by specialist teachers and, when needed, supported by external experts. Students also attend assemblies within their school groups, which build on and extend this learning.
Our teaching is high quality, inclusive and accessible, with content adapted to meet the needs of all learners. We recognise that some students may be more vulnerable to issues such as exploitation or bullying, so certain topics are given particular importance.
We follow the Equality Act 2010 when planning and delivering our curriculum, taking into account the nine protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Where needed, we provide additional support to ensure all students can access and benefit from the programme.
For further information, please access our Relationship, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) Policy.