Personal Development
From the moment our children arrive in their Early year’s classroom, to the day they leave us to start their Year 7, our Personal Development Curriculum underpins their learning experience at Carlton Road.
Reflected in our school motto “Aim High – Dream Big” driven by our Aspire ethos and values, our intent is :
The implementation of personal development takes many forms:
Structured: opportunities that are planned with a purpose such as NSPCC assemblies, “Children in Need” fundraising or First Aid Training.
Discrete: the actual teaching of personal development; separately and distinctly; we use the Jigsaw scheme of work for Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE), Relationships and Sex education (RSE) and “Picture News” for British Values. Such discrete teaching ensures the school covers the DfE requirements for these subjects in an age appropriate, consistent, and progressive manner. The content can be found on our Relationship Education page.
Provision: a specific or targeted offer that meets a need or matches a target such as breakfast club or after-school sports. Some of this content may be delivered via a therapeutic approach from outside agencies such as “Healthy Minds” or the “Friends” programme.
Experiential: opportunities to participate in activities and events that are developmental over and above classroom learning, often these may not be available to the children outside school such as PGL Residentials and theatre visits.
Immersive: the chance to be or “live” an experience or role such as being in the “Mini Police”, learning a musical instrument, taking part in a debate or trying something new to eat!.
Listen to our radio experience !
Dynamic: changing and adapting the delivery of personal development to respond to pastoral needs as they arise e.g., reacting to a case of internet safety or inappropriate language in the “here and now”. This aspect of our implementation is linked closely to our behaviour and or safeguarding policy as we enable / scaffold appropriate choices and practice de-escalation minimising the need for any sanctions. Further input may be delivered here from our Academy family welfare team.
Cross Curricula: where there is an overlap between our national curriculum study and a personal development strand such as reading “Coming to England” in black history month, to understand the development of Black British society after the arrival of the “Windrush”.
The impact of our Personal Development curriculum can be felt in the calm, positive and purposeful environment of the school, in conversations with our children, and in the fact that we have very few breaches of our behaviour policy. Where this may happen it is usually as a result of an additional need that requires supporting.
