Personal Development

1.       Personal Development through the Personal, Social & Health education (PSHE) Curriculum

At Loxley Primary, we promote equality of opportunity so that all pupils can thrive together, understanding that difference is a positive, not a negative, and that individual characteristics make people unique.  We provide an inclusive environment that meets the needs of all pupils, irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.  This is achieved through the delivery of a well-balanced and delivered PSHE Curriculum (see separate PSHE Policy); much of the taught Personal Development study occurs within this curriculum area and often takes place in the classroom during set lessons or specific events, such as Friendship Week or Health week (with reference to social and emotional aspects of learning and mental health).

2.       Personal development through the Relationships Sexual and Health Education (RSHE) Curriculum RSHE is lifelong learning about personal, physical, moral and emotional development and is pivotal within the area of Personal Development. It teaches children and young people to develop and form positive values, attitudes, personal and social skills, and increase their knowledge and understanding of how to make informed decisions and life choices.

RSHE is taught within the Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education curriculum and at specific intervals throughout the year, such as Health Week and Friendship Week.  In addition, some aspects of the RSE programme will be covered through:

·         Delivery of the Science curriculum

·         Computing

·         Circle times

·         Assemblies

·         Stories

·         PE in the context of health and hygiene

The aims of Relationships, Sex and Health education (RSHE) at our school are to:

·         Provide a consistent standard of relations, sex and health education across the school

·         Help pupils develop feelings of self-respect, confidence and empathy

·         Promote responsible behaviour

·         Create a positive culture of communication around issues of relationships

·         To understand and build healthy relationships that combat exploitation.

·         Provide a framework in which sensitive discussions can take place

·         To provide all pupils with knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will enable them to make positive and healthy choices concerning relationships as they grow up and deal with risk.

·         Teach pupils the correct vocabulary to describe themselves and their bodies

·         Prepare pupils for puberty, and give them an understanding of sexual development and the importance of health and hygiene

·         Give pupils an understanding of reproduction and sexual development

·         Ensure that all pupils, by the time they reach secondary school age, are well equipped and on an equal footing, to deal with the secondary RSE curriculum.

3.      Personal development through Computing and internet safety

As part of our school’s Personal Development programme we ensure pupils are taught the following:

·         about the benefits of rationing time spent online, the risks of excessive time spent on electronic devices and the impact of positive and negative content online on their own and others’ mental and physical wellbeing

·         how to consider the effect of their online actions on others and know how to recognise and display respectful behaviour online and the importance of keeping personal information private

·         why social media, some computer games and online gaming, for example, are age restricted

·         that the internet can also be a negative place where online abuse, trolling, bullying and harassment can take place, which can have a negative impact on mental health

·         how to be a discerning consumer of information online including understanding that information, including that from search engines, is ranked, selected and targeted

·         where and how to report concerns and get support with issues online

This is often delivered specifically within allocated Computing curriculum time in class, but is also through Assemblies, Internet Safety Week, Friendship Week and Health Week, in addition to any required time due to an emerging situation. Staff are focus on the 4 C’s in their teaching of internet safety – Content, Contact, Commerce and Conduct.

4.      Personal development through the wider curriculum

The Loxley Primary School’s approach to learning allows for pupils to experience a rich, deep and broad curriculum for all pupils – with no artificial barriers to learning put in place – so that may best develop in the coming years.  Our bespoke learning package from EYFS to Year 6, as evidenced in each subject’s individual conceptual progression maps and discussion grids, medium term plans and most importantly in pupils’ learning itself, shows that the school follows a systemic delivery of this.  Emphasis is placed firmly on allowing pupils to find and develop their own strengths and talents as they progress, and to furthermore enable them to extend this through this Wider Curriculum, or even the school’s Beyond the Classroom activities, if available.

The Wider Curriculum at Loxley aims to allow pupils opportunities within the classroom to develop new skills and knowledge that will motivate, engage and inspire our learners.  Each year group participates annually in whole-school events such as Arts Week, Health Week and Friendship Week to better develop their understanding of the world and its culture, whilst individual lessons or unit of studies further deepen pupils’ grounding in a given subject.

The school’s unique Heritage Curriculum strand aims to make learners more aware of our locality’s heritage and culture, through key historical events, oral language and even musical provenance, which in turn we hope will make pupils’ own perception of, and connection to, their community more significant.

We aim for all pupils to learn a tuned instrument, and share an active love of music at all times in the school, whether it be singing in Assemblies or at a school celebration, class music learning recorders, clarinets and keyboards or simply reflecting on a piece in an individual lesson.

5.      The Wider Personal Development Offer

As found in our Aiming High Together vision statement, we believe that all pupils are entitled to the right to a holistic education to achieve the best version of themselves, not just an academic one.  This is through the inclusion of enriching activities both in formal and informal settings as standard, and not just as a one-off event. 

a.      Universal

Through a bespoke package at Loxley, we hope to give pupils the chance to find and experience activities and skills which they will take with them through life.  This may be in the formal sense of key skills in Literacy or Numeracy, but we hope that will be far more intangible, such as a passion for Art, Music or even a niche in which to excel.

Accordingly, our Wider Offer to pupils seeks to meet their needs and changes termly.  After school and lunchtime clubs run regularly for all year groups from Year 1 upwards and are very well attended: the diverse nature of these activities mean that pupils experience a huge range of opportunities throughout their time at the school.  Recent examples of these include the school’s roller hockey club, which encourages active living through roller skating and also cooperative team sports, and a lunchtime Table Top Gaming Club which acts as both a social intervention and nurture support for SEMH learning.

The Personal Development Portfolio for each individual pupil hopes to draw together all elements of their time in school both in and out of the classroom beyond what is the national expectation for a child of their age, and highlights their participation, successes and accomplishments holistically as well as academically.  We want every pupil to participate and be aware of what it means to be a Loxley pupil, and in turn to take even more pride in their own development more than we know that they already do. 

b.      Targeted Interventions

On occasions, the needs of an individual, small group, or even cohort may require additional support in best helping their Personal Development, and on these occasions a more focussed and direct approach is established.

These interventions are often used with specific outcomes and intentions established from their offset, such as Nurture provision, the Catch Up and Keep Up programme, and the allocation of Pupil Premium funding on an individual ‘pupil on a page’ to give disadvantaged pupils best opportunities for their individual requirements.

Loxley’s aim to support all pupils in their needs, to the best of the school’s capabilities, means that this targeted intervention approach then can specifically address and help a pupil hopefully in an emerging need.  A part of this process is also visible in the school’s Triage support system by SLT staff (as part of the Healthy Minds programme) to identity and support individuals who are beginning to see in difficulty home, SEND or SEMH needs.

6.      Personal Development through Outdoor Adventurous Activities and Residential Visits

As a school, we pride ourselves on the opportunities provided to pupils through a varied and enjoyable provision of Outdoor Adventurous Activities (OAA) and Residential Visits.  The access to the school’s Robin Wood gives pupils chance to take part in a rich OAA curriculum from EYFS up to Year 6 (see PE Appendices Policy for details) and this is built upon in Key Stage 2 through an annual residential experience, in which Personal Development is central to the needs of individuals.  Programmes, which are facilitated by skilled providers, are developed yearly based on the needs of cohorts and delivered at the following locations:

·         Year 3: Castleton YHA – 1 night

·         Year 4 & 5: Thornbridge Outdoor Learning Centre (rotating programme in order to make it different for each year) – 2 nights

·         Year 6: Scarborough – 3 nights

In addition, the Robin Wood area allows for a more holistic delivery of elements of the school’s Wider Curriculum offer where bespoke units of study in a variety of curriculum subjects are delivered to enhance understanding, interest, cultural capital and Personal Development as a whole.  Each class has a specific half term to use the woodland to deliver an enquiry-based learning unit linked to a specific subject (often Science, but also Geography or History).

7.      British Values

A fundamental part to the successful achievement of Personal Development is to be found in the ethos of the British Values statement for schools.  These are:

·         The Rule of Law

·         Democracy

·         Individual Liberty

·         Mutual Respect

·         Tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs

To do this our children will develop:

·         An understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process, specifically utilising activities such as class council elections and representatives

·         An understanding that the freedom to hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law, delivered through our RE curriculum

·         An acceptance that people having different faiths and beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of discriminatory behaviour

·         An understanding of the importance or identifying and combating discrimination

8.      Readiness for the next stage of Education & Transition

Our approach to Personal Development is always mindful that pupils need to be acquiring and engaging with new skills and knowledge, as well as developing existing positive attitudes in their time with us.  As referenced in the Aiming High Together document, we hope that all Loxley pupils will be confident and resilient learners who are caring and active citizens in their community.

Much of the holistic work achieved by the school throughout a pupil’s time with us comes from an understanding that we are helping to improve their life chances in the future as much as we are teaching them today.  We aim for all Loxley learners to leave Year 6 with a secure grounding in all curriculum areas (not just core subjects) that will allow them to feel ready for learning at key stage 3 and beyond, but more significantly in the mould of a Personal Development model is that we hope that they will leave us prepared socially, emotionally and mentally for their journey ahead. 

As a school, we retain positive links with the Secondary schools our pupils are likely to attend and build in opportunities for them to begin to establish links that will ease transition.  These often include visits from secondary staff to talk about life as a pupil at their school, link visits made during Year 6 as part of the transition process, visits from former pupils who return to help out in annual events, such as Sports Day, French Day, or in a volunteering capacity as LSFA (Loxley School Fundraising Association) Fairs.  There are also occasions when sporting clubs, events and competitions will allow for use of a secondary school’s facilities on-site during the year.  Each year, a well-established transition programme is completed both by staff at Loxley and also by the receiving secondary school that will best prepare the majority of our learners.

For those pupils who can struggle with this process, such as those with SEND or SEMH needs, we offer additional support in whatever way best suits them.  This may involve additional visits with Loxley staff, extra activities in and out of school to help them become more used to their surroundings, or sometimes just a ‘Check In’ to let them talk through how they are feeling and their concerns.  These interventions are often coordinated by the school’s SENDCO in conjunction with the receiving school and also the parents of the individual in question.

SMHC (and mental and physical wellbeing)

a.      Personal Development through Spiritual, Moral, Health and Cultural Dimensions to learning

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development of the children in our school is another element within our delivery of Personal Development. It is, again, not discreet subject that is taught explicitly but an aspect of learning that is present in lessons and behaviour in school.  Some lessons lend themselves more easily to direct SMSC development such as PSHE and RE. We also aim to develop SMSC through assemblies (and collective worship), high behavioural expectations found in the Loxley Code, and our values and attitudes in school.  It also links directly into our Core and Wider Curriculum Offers to pupils and the ethos found in Aiming High Together, as well as the Beyond the Classroom activities.  In planning and delivering lessons staff are aware of the following statements:

Spiritual development for pupils at Loxley is shown through:

·         beliefs, religious or otherwise, which inform perspective on life and their interest in, and respect for, different people’s feelings and values

·         a sense of enjoyment and fascination in pupils learning about themselves, others and the world around them, including the intangible

·         the use of imagination and creativity at every opportunity in learning

·         a willingness to reflect on their experiences.

Moral development for pupils at Loxley is shown by:

·         the ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong and a readiness to apply this understanding in their own lives

·         an understanding of the consequences of their actions

·         an interest in investigating, and offering reasoned views about, moral and ethical issues.

Social development for pupils at Loxley is shown through:

·         the use of a range of social skills in different contexts, including working and socialising with others from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds

·         a willingness to participate in a variety of social settings, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively

·         an interest in, and understanding of, the way communities and societies function at a variety of levels.

Cultural development for pupils at Loxley is shown by:

·         an understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage

·         a willingness to participate in, and respond to, for example, artistic, musical, sporting, mathematical, technological, scientific and cultural opportunities

·         an interest in exploring, understanding of, and respect for cultural diversity and the extent to which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity, as shown by their attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities.

b.      Personal Development aspects of Mental and Physical well-being

At Loxley, pupils discuss that mental wellbeing is a normal part of daily life, in the same way as physical health, and that there is a normal range of emotions (e.g. happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, nervousness).  This scale of emotions in relation to different experiences and situations can be expressed in different ways, both positive and negative, and pupils are taught how to recognise and talk about these, including having a varied vocabulary of words to use when talking about their own and others’ feelings. Through initiatives like the Healthy Minds Programme they learn how judge whether what they are feeling and how they are behaving is appropriate and proportionate.

As part of their Personal Development, pupils are explicitly taught about the benefits of physical exercise, time outdoors, community participation, voluntary and service-based activity on mental wellbeing and happiness.  This is sometimes covered through specific sessions such as the school’s annual Health Week, but also within class in discreet or as required circle time activities.  Pupils also learn about simple self-care techniques, including the importance of rest, time spent with friends and family and the benefits of hobbies and interests

Equal opportunities

We recognise and celebrate the variety of achievements and life experiences of people from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds. We encourage pupils to use empathy and recognise bias in order that children can see how knowledge has been interpreted in the past and how these interpretations have been favourable/unfavourable to different groups of people.  We learn about a variety of people from around the world to support the concept in PSHE making sure there is a rich representation of gender and culture.

One way in which we encourage children to look at aspects of Personal Development in an unbiased way are through enquiry questions. Examples of these are: Are all families the same? Is it possible to be happy all the time? How can I stay safe? We also allow for exploration and challenge:

·         Challenging ideas of what feelings are and when we should feel them. Through the zones of regulation children begin to understand what triggers certain emotions for them and they may be different to the person next to them.

·         Challenging ideas of gender representation by beginning to learn about different gender preferences and gender stereotypes we see in society through advertising, jobs and clothes.

·         Challenging ideas of families and looking at how families can look different due to number of parents the gender of parents, the number of children and living situations.

·         Challenging ideas of disability and inclusion and what barriers are and how people can overcome.

In KS2 we challenge the concept of ‘news and trusted news sources’ in Computing awakening children to the idea of not everything is true on the internet and how to look for true sources and the presence of echo chambers.

Disadvantaged and SEND

We are keen to remove as many barriers as possible to provide an accessible curriculum for our pupils with SEND. Teachers endeavour to make Personal Development as inclusive as possible by anticipating and minimising problems by making modifications or adjustments to activities. Sometimes this may be by providing a parallel activity for students so that they can work towards the same objective as their peers or working in a smaller group. Often extra dedicated time is put aside to children with Disadvantage or SEND, for example targeted intervention groups, to make sure children are as well supported and cared for as they possible can be.  In some instances 1:1 time will be dedicated to children we have recognised have significant needs in terms of emotional development.

Examples of the types of support we may offer during Personal Development sessions.

·         Using a range of techniques eg. practical activities, video clips and songs to allow all children the chance to access and enjoy the lessons.

·         Allow for Kagan teaching practises to enable children the chance to rehearse ideas, share ideas and feel valued in a safe, supportive and collaborative atmosphere

As stated in our pupil premium statement, our focus is on enabling disadvantaged pupils to have maximum benefit from the rich and broad curriculum and ‘Beyond the Classroom’ offer we have at Loxley focussing most keenly on learning which is most likely to offer life changing opportunities. The ability to appreciate the world around us and all the people in it is a fundamental priority to enable disadvantaged pupils to have a high level of success compared to their peers and we believe that a strong pupil engagement across all areas of school life is an excellent way of helping disadvantaged pupils achieve high levels of success.

Impact

Desired Outcomes for Pupils

By the end of a pupils’ time participating in the Personal Development programme at Loxley Primary School we hope that pupils leave us with:

·         a sense of self and self-confidence

·         an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, their responsibilities as members of different groups within school, home and their community

·         an understanding of the needs of others

·         the ability to relate to others in a positive and supportive way

·         the ability to know how to promote equality of opportunity so that all can thrive together, understanding that difference is a positive, not a negative, and that individual characteristics make people unique

·         increased levels of Cultural Capital through entitlement for all, more so than if they had not attended the school

·         the recognition of finding something that they are passionate about, and are engaged to become actively involved with, or learn about, in or out of the classroom

Monitoring and Review

Personal Development is not measured at Loxley as an assessable subject; although there are instances where percentages or attendance at a specific event, activity or club can provide some useful insight as to its popularity.  We believe that the best indicators of success come from the pupils themselves, articulating where they feel they have improved, and how they feel over a period of time they have moved forwards in themselves.

Beginning in September 2023, the school has implemented a Personal Development Portfolio to record individual participation in the school’s provision, and this is completed on a year-on-year basis which moves through the school with each pupil.  Within this document, pupils record their activities, clubs, visits and any area of life which is beyond the normal national expectations in a given class.  Sometimes this will be part of a cohort, but more likely it will reflect a personal journey showing what an individual has achieved over the course of an extended period of time.  Space is provided for reflection for pupils in order that they can recognise their own Personal Development in both the shorter and longer term. It is hoped that through this we, and pupils, are able to see the impact of an effective Personal Development programme throughout Loxley Primary School.