Personal Development

Personal development in our school refers to:

• PSHE (Personal, social, health and economic wellbeing) – including Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE), Physical health and Mental wellbeing education.
• SMSC – Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
• Character education – developing resilience, values, respect for others, engaging in wider opportunities and actively being a good citizen.
• British Values – ensuring young people leave school prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Equality – understanding ‘protected characteristics’ and the importance of inclusion for all.

Personal development lies at the heart and soul of our school, reflecting the ethos and priorities of a learning and caring community. Our BOLD Curriculum includes a broad and balanced education incorporating personal development alongside academic achievement. It is reflected in the behaviours of individuals, in their interactions and also in the provision of teaching, resources and learning environments.

Elements of Personal Development

Our Personal Development Programme extends across the curriculum, incorporating the following resources into the framework of experiences:

• Jigsaw
• No Outsiders
• Picture News
• Local Faith Leaders
• Votes for schools

Policy for Personal Development (including Relationships, Sex and Health Education)

When first constructing our RSHE programme, we shared the content with our families who were in full support of the approach, content and vocabulary used. We remind our families about the content on newsletters, but it can also be viewed in the Personal Development Policy. Families can still provide feedback or ask questions regarding the content, by by emailing hello@pop.hslt.academy 

To read our Policy for Personal Development, which includes the content of our RSHE programme, please go to Our Policies page.

Relationship and Sex Education – DFE guide for parents

Relationships Education Relationships and Sex Education RSE and Health Education

Helping parents to understand the meaning of ‘British values’

Within the information on The BOLD Curriculum and Character Education, you will have read a statement regarding ‘British values’, and how it is embedded into our C.L.I.M.B and Adventure Learning.

All maintained schools must meet the requirements set out in section 78 of the Education Act 2002 and promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of their pupils. The 2023 Prevent Duty, highlights the importance of schools actively promoting British Values. They are identified as: democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

These values are not exclusively or uniquely British, but they represent key aspirations and principles for our own communities and country. It is important that pupils recognise these are expectations for a democratic and inclusive country where there is no place for prejudice and intolerance.

The Prevent Duty in Education can be found here.

Actively promoting the values means challenging opinions or behaviours in school that are contrary to fundamental British values. Attempts to promote systems that undermine fundamental British values would be completely at odds with schools’ duty to provide SMSC. The Teachers’ Standards expect teachers to uphold public trust in the profession and maintain high standards of ethics and behaviour, within and outside school. This includes not undermining fundamental British values.

Through our provision of SMSC within C.L.I.M.B Learning and Adventure Learning, we:

• enable children to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence;
• enable children to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England;
• encourage children to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and to understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality of the school and to society more widely;
• enable children to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England;
• further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling students to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures;
• encourage respect for other people; and
• encourage respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic processes, including respect for the basis on which the law is made and applied in England.

The list below describes the understanding and knowledge expected of pupils as a result of our school promoting fundamental British values.

• an understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process;
• an appreciation that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and is essential for their wellbeing and safety;
• an understanding that there is a separation of power between the executive and the judiciary, and that while some public bodies such as the police and the army can be held to account through Parliament, others such as the courts maintain independence;
• an understanding that the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law;
• an acceptance that other people having different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour; and
• an understanding of the importance of identifying and combating discrimination.

What are ‘protected characteristics’ ?

The Equality Act became law in 2010. It covers everyone in Britain and protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation.

The Equality Act protects people against discrimination because of the protected characteristics that we all have. Under the Equality Act, there are nine protected characteristics:

• age
• disability
• gender reassignment
• marriage and civil partnership
• pregnancy and maternity
• race
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation

Exposure and explanation of these characteristics is of course age appropriate and is part of the carefully planned and sequenced PSHE curriculum.

Impact

Pupils know their thoughts, opinions and beliefs are valued by both adults and their peers. They appreciate the respectful way they are listened to and the way they listen to each other. This results in children who are able to successfully manage their behaviour and can increasingly sort out friendship problems for themselves. Children are given the opportunity to explain themselves wherever possible in both social and behavioural situations. They understand the importance of turn taking and respecting the views of others to work and play cooperatively. Such strategies and beliefs help our children to have more self-belief and become confident, articulate members of society when they leave school.

Pupils explain how to keep safe and know how to behave in a socially acceptable and harmonious manner, both in school, within the local community, and when taking part in educational visits and residentials.

Children are aware of how to stay safe while using the internet and have strategies to use if they are unsure of what they find.

Through Poppleton Pride, children regularly show that they live up to the vision, values and expectations of our school. This is reflected in the fact exclusions are low, attendance is high, school uniform is worn regularly and pupils demonstrate excellent learning behaviours.

Pupils are consulted on aspects of school life, are entrusted with responsibility and are allowed to lead their learning and actions wherever possible. The growing emphasis across the school on enquiry, reasoning and individual choice, allows children to develop unique and individual thought process without the need for teacher’s constant guidance.

Children understand why being welcoming and holding everyone in equal regard is important and are able to articulate how they can ensure that everyone feels safe and cared for when in school. Children are curious when learning about other faiths and the wider world and ask thought provoking questions.