Personal Development
Personal Development
- Intent:
At St Peter’s we promote honesty and empathy and endeavour to foster a safe and inclusive learning
environment in which pupils can:
- Explore and understand physical and mental health, including the advantages and risks of good and poor habits, how to administer basic first aid and how to seek appropriate support
- Recognise and respect the dignity of all human beings, as defined in the Equality Act (2010), as well as understand the need for protections for human rights as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the UN Convention on Rights of a Child (UNCRC)
- Explore and explain how life in modern Britain is structured and strategies ensure development and change in communities, at a local, national and global scale, and draw from a wealth of examples
- Develop the understanding and skills to navigate relationships with respect and integrity, including managing emotions, the benefits of marriage and stable relationships, healthy boundaries and showing discernment in difficult circumstances
- Explore and explain how life online and internet safety have real-world consequences, such as on mental health and body image, financial risks and the proliferation of mis- and disinformation
- Reflect on personal strengths, weaknesses and aspirations and explore career prospects and the qualities, skills and competencies necessary to continue to achieve
- Develop reverence for sexuality and the gift of fertility, including understanding how the human body changes at different stages of life and recognising the fundamental and legal nature of consent and respect between intimate partners in addition to recognising the benefits of delaying sexual intimacy
These broad areas represent the many needs our pupils have as young people, so naturally we acknowledge these issues can be sensitive or controversial. As a school, we openly embrace discussion, working within clear ground rules, set and agreed, between teachers and pupils to ensure we address these areas of exploration with maturity and respect. At St Peter's we believe children are best educated and protected from harm and exploitation by discussing such issues openly within the context of our Personal Development programme.
The programme is delivered in such a way that it does not preach but rather informs pupils, enabling them to reach their own conclusions, after thoughtful reflection.
- Implementation:
Personal Development is delivered via discrete lessons, fortnightly retrieval sessions in Study Period as well as through assemblies and targeted talks and workshops with experts, such as Police Community Support Officers, first aiders and from charities.
The spiral curriculum ensures pupils revisit issues as they mature so that the programme reflects and anticipates the challenges they are likely to encounter at the different stages in their lives.
In Personal Development, we make purposeful use of scenarios and case studies; experiential learning; discussion; role-play; problem solving activities and hands-on demonstrations and workshops (first aid skills including CPR).
Understanding the sensitive nature of particular issues such conception, marriage and abortion, our teaching is supported by use of TenTen Resources, a programme which addresses these subjects through a Catholic lens.
- Impact:
- Quality assurance learning walks
- Pupil Voice via the Student Council, Focus Groups, Learning Walks
- Pupil Wellbeing Survey (A confidential and anonymous survey on health and wellbeing, led by Gloucestershire County Council)
- Staff Audit
‘I have come that you might have life and live it to the full’ (Jn.10.10)
In Personal Development, pupils will develop the knowledge, skills, ambition and understanding of the world needed to ultimately become happy and healthy human beings. In nurturing our pupils, we aspire to imbue them with the respect, optimism, sense of community and kindness to follow, like Peter, in the footsteps of Jesus at our school but also in the wider world so that they may make meaningful contributions to society.
Curriculum Overview by Year Group and Term
| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | Term 5 | Term 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1: Looking after myself and others What makes people happy and healthy? We will explore our physical and mental needs and consider what healthy relationships and habits look like. |
Unit 2: Looking to the future Let’s prepare for our futures: how will our digital behaviours impact our everyday lives and our working futures? Begin to explore what the future might look like by considering our interests and strengths! |
Unit 3: Safety first! Knowing how to manage accidents and emergencies is part of growing up. In this unit, we will discover the basics of first aid so we are prepared for anything! |
Unit 4: How does society work? Where do we stand in society and how are the needs of the people met? In this unit, we will explore British Values, our rights and freedoms and consider the protection of different groups the impact of prejudice in daily life. |
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| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | Term 5 | Term 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1: Building stronger communities We will explore the concept of community and the difficulties communities face every day. We will look closely at challenges faced by different groups within our communities and how decisions can be made to overcome them. |
Unit 2: Respecting boundaries What is the value of human life and challenges to recognising it? In this unit, we will explore what respect and disrespect look like and how we can develop healthy relationships with others. |
Unit 3: How to save a life Let’s develop our skills further so that you can be confident in emergency situations! You will revise first aid basics and explore how we can prevent emergencies related to knife crime. |
Unit 4: The working world What is a career ladder and which one is for me? In this unit we will explore the diverse range of jobs and careers and consider how our skills and strengths can help us climb towards our goals. Also, we will begin to take care of our money and understand why we pay taxes. |
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| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | Term 5 | Term 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1: Recognising human worth We will understand how healthy relationships are grounded in dignity and mutual respect. We will recognise the benefits of stable, committed relationships and develop the skills to navigate issues such as consent with care and respect for human dignity |
Unit 2: Making choices, taking risks Life is full of choices and every choice creates a consequence. We will reflect on decisions and how some risks can be advantageous whilst others can be mentally, physically and financially dangerous |
Unit 3: Healthy inside and out In this unit, we will begin to explore extreme health conditions which are unfortunately too common. In addition, we will complete our learning of first aid skills so that we can be prepared to support in all sorts of emergencies. |
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| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | Term 5 | Term 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1: Citizens of the world What is my role in society? How do I make an impact? We will explore how our freedoms allow for actions to create change and understanding of how government in the UK is different other systems. Finally, we will explore how the law is designed to respond to illegal actions such as knife crime. |
Unit 2: Healthy minds and bodies We will explore the complex decisions made when entering different stages of life, such as falling in love, sexual relationships and parenthood. We will discuss sensitive issues such as abortion and abuse in relationships compassionately, recognising respect for human dignity. |
Unit 3: Preparing for the future In this unit, we will address how financial literacy is key to being a successful adult. We will build on our understanding of incomings and outgoings by using technology to research lifestyles to make realistic budgets. By the end we will be equipped with the skills necessary for successful job and career applications. |
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| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | Term 5 | Term 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1: Healthy minds and bodies We will understand how healthy relationships with ourselves and others are grounded in dignity. We will develop the skills to navigate mature issues such as addiction, sexual relationships and sexual health with compassion, recognizing diverse perspectives while maintaining respect for all. |
Unit 2: The world ahead What’s next? This unit will widen our understanding of the next steps after GCSEs and prepare us with the skills to succeed |
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