In This Section
Personal Development
At Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School, we place a high value on Personal Development (PD) as an integral part of our educational approach. Our PD curriculum is designed to embody our school ethos of 'Quality, Enthusiasm & Partnership' while equipping our students with the skills, knowledge, and attributes necessary to become well-rounded individuals and responsible citizens in today’s world.
Curriculum Intent
We are committed to providing an enriching and empowering curriculum that fully prepares learners for the next steps in their school career and the wider world. Our aim is to teach children how to navigate through life safely, happily and healthily. We teach children about the world around them, relationships, emotions, reproduction and health, as well as transferable skills to help with life. We consistently promote British values as well our own school ethos.
Our Personal Development curriculum gives the children the knowledge and understanding they need make informed choices and to be a positive influence in the communities that they belong to.
Today’s children and young people are growing up in an increasingly complex and ever-changing world. This presents many positive and exciting opportunities, but also includes challenges and risks. In this environment, children and young people need to know how to be safe and healthy, and how to manage their academic, personal and social lives in a positive way. Our aim is to develop skills and attributes such as resilience, self-esteem, risk-management, team-working and critical thinking.
We believe that personal development should permeate all aspects of school life, reflecting our commitment to quality education, fostering enthusiasm for learning, and building strong partnerships. To achieve this, we employ a multi-faceted approach:
- High-quality teaching of health and wellbeing through our comprehensive Personal, Social, Health, and Economic program, following the SCARF curriculum.
- Providing rich experiences through class and whole-school initiatives that promote our core values.
- Integration of personal development across all subject areas and embedded within daily school life.
Implementation
SCARF - Our Health & Wellbeing Curriculum
Our Health and Wellbeing lessons follow a wide range of topics, delivered with a focus on quality and excellence following the comprehensive and progressive SCARF curriculum.
- Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)
- Health and Wellbeing
- Living in the Wider World
These lessons provide students with essential knowledge and understanding of themselves and the world around them, encouraging enthusiastic engagement with important life skills.
Growing & Changing Progression Overview
Relationships Curriculum Progression Document
Whole-School Approach
We promote personal development through various whole-school initiatives that spark enthusiasm and active participation within our pupils:
- Engaging assemblies focusing on current affairs and ethical issues
- Vibrant Religious Education lessons and experiences that promote understanding and respect for diverse beliefs
- Strong community engagement as well as rich and diverse educational visits
- Forest School and TRUST outdoor learning opportunities
- School and community pledges and citizenship programmes
- A broad and diverse range of extra-curricular clubs
- Rich and diverse trips and visits that enhance the cultural capital of our pupils
- A behaviour curriculum that celebrate positive actions and develops pro-social attitudes
The Wider Curriculum
Personal development themes are woven into all subjects through partnerships between teachers, students, and the wider community. This approach helps students to make connections between their learning and real-life situations, fostering an enthusiasm for applying their knowledge.
Promoting British Values
We actively promote fundamental British values with high-quality resources and enthusiastic discussions, encouraging partnerships within our community and building positive experiences our communities outside our local area:
- Democracy
- The Rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual Respect and Tolerance
Spiritual, Moral, Social, and Cultural (SMSC) Education
Our curriculum underpins a development of how a wide range of different cultures have influenced society today in Britain and further afield. A strength of our school is the participation of our pupils in both sporting and artistic events in the local community of schools and in the wider community. Because we are not an ethnically diverse school or community this is an area we have to work harder on. Our children have a growing awareness of their place in a culturally diverse modern Britain. Our rich SMSC program aims to develop students who:
- Enthusiastically reflect on their own beliefs and respect those of others
- Understand the importance of quality decision-making in moral dilemmas
- Develop strong social skills and engage positively with their community partners
- Appreciate and respect cultural diversity with genuine enthusiasm
Building Character
Throughout school life, we encourage students to develop:
- Curiosity in thinking by questioning the world around them
- An enthusiasm for learning by exploring new ideas and experiences
- Strong partnership skills by participating actively in school and community life
Social Development - Our Behaviour Curriculum
We have the highest expectations of pupil behaviour and conduct, promoting respect, responsibility and self-discipline. We are committed to providing an inclusive and supportive learning environment. We embrace a therapeutic approach to behaviour management, focusing on the emotional wellbeing and mental health of our children. This approach ensures that our behaviour policies are underpinned by empathy, understanding, and the promotion of prosocial (positive) behaviours. Our approach seeks to foster the independence of children and young people by teaching them how to develop internal discipline. The aim is that they are always able to behave pro-socially, without the need for adults to manage this.
We recognise this happens at different rates and to different levels; all activities are planned so as to provide the best possible learning environment to enhance these pro-social skills. Children are facilitated to understand social conventions and socially acceptable behaviour through all that we do. Children are encouraged to be kind to their friends, be thoughtful, truthful and to discuss these issues where possible through our school rules:
- Be Ready
- Be Respectful
- Be Safe
These underpin all that we do in both in and out of school. When children adhere to these simple principles, they develop the positive social characteristics that help prepare them for living in modern Britain. There is a large emphasis on understanding the difference between right and wrong and we have a strong commitment to good behaviour which is modelled for all.
Community Partnerships
We believe that personal development is a collaborative effort between school, home, and the wider community. We regularly communicate with parents about aspects of our PD curriculum and provide quality resources to support discussions at home. We seek partnerships with local organizations to enrich our students' personal development. We foster aspects of these each year with three organised community pledges at the start of the academic year.
There is a large emphasis on how we behave and take our place within the community where positive relationships are built on fairness and understanding. The highest standard of a moral code are modelled to pupils by adults and by older pupils to their younger peers. Our assemblies and curriculum provide opportunities to explore issues and differing viewpoints.
Impact
At Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School, we are committed to nurturing well-rounded individuals who are prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the modern world. Our comprehensive approach to personal development, grounded in our ethos of 'Quality, Enthusiasm & Partnership', ensures that every student has the opportunity to grow, not just academically, but as a whole person.
By maintaining high standards of quality in our curriculum and teaching, fostering enthusiasm for personal growth, and building strong partnerships within and beyond our school community, we create an environment where students can truly thrive and develop into confident, capable, and caring individuals.