Personal Development
Our Personal Development programme is designed to give students the opportunity to become healthy, well-rounded, independent, active citizens, in a safe environment.
The programme is accessible and inclusive and encompasses the whole age range of our school community. We are committed to ensuring that the progress that students make is not only within their academic achievement, but also within their behaviours demonstrated in society.
We aim to develop our students personally and socially and we look to discuss and help them to understand the social, moral and cultural issues associated with growing up.
As a Catholic school, we will enhance their spirituality and teach them about other religions, getting them to reflect on their own beliefs. This spiritual, moral, social and cultural journey will underpin the development of each student's character and experience.
Throughout this programme is the common thread of British Values and the impact that instilling these into your character can have on any individual. We look to ensure that all students are encouraged to develop self-worth and they play positive role within the society of our school.
Implementation
Personal development is a critical area of the school, that all students are exposed to in multi-faceted ways. The delivery of personal development is both implicit and explicit. The PSHE and RSE curriculum forms the backbone of explicit personal development, enhancing and imparting knowledge at an age-appropriate level for all students, in areas such as; Sex Education, Online Safety, LGBT+ issues, Mental Health, British Values and many more. This can be seen by viewing the Curriculum for both PSHE/RSE and Careers. There is also a booklet outlining examples where British Values are outlined within the curriculum of each subject individually.
The school policies and structures within the school, to create a safe environment, are critical to the success of personal development as students and staff foster relationships rooted in mutual respect. This is where more implicit delivery takes place, as we look to foster a healthy culture of achievement, mutual respect and resilience. This school also places a huge emphasis on the value of extra-curricular clubs and the role they have to play in character development, particularly seen within the Debate Mate club.
As a Catholic school, spiritual development is at the forefront of the Catholic ethos that we foster, this takes place through Liturgy and Prayer, Catholic Social Teaching and within RE lessons. Social, Moral and Cultural development happens both explicitly and implicitly through the different curricula and policies mentioned previously. The extracurricular programme and wider opportunities is another critical feature of the SMSC development of our students.
Impact
By the end of our students journey they will have developed the following skills :
- Students will demonstrate and apply the British Values of Democracy, Tolerance, Mutual respect, Rule of law and Liberty.
- Students will have an understanding about relationships, friendships and how to communicate with people effectively
- Students will have an understanding about the wider world and the behaviours accepted within it
- Students will know different career pathways and have made a decision about the route to take upon leaving Year 11 or Year 13
- Students will be on their journey preparing them for life and work in modern Britain
- Students will demonstrate a healthy outlook towards school which will help with attendance and behaviour
- Students will build emotional resiliency and become responsible members of society
- Students will have been exposed to a wide range of opportunities that they would not originally have had access to, enhancing their cultural capital
Personal Development is embedded into the school ethos through explicit and implicit teaching. We believe it is a common thread through each aspect of school life and in this manner it is effectively promoted and taught within out school community.
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