Personal and Character Development
Inspiring children to live life in all its fullness
Through scripture Christians believe that we are each unique and beautiful because God created humankind in His image. This means, we recognise the importance of developing the whole child academically, socially, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Only through a rounded education experience can children flourish, shine and discover their hidden talents and strengths. Contributing to personal and character development is a lifelong journey, marked by a myriad of experiences that shape who we are and who we aspire to become. These experiences come in various forms, from triumphs to challenges, from moments of joy to instances of adversity. Each encounter leaves an indelible mark on our character, fostering growth, resilience, and self-awareness.
To enable children to seek who they are, discover their talents and interests, we have a broad personal development curriculum that provides children with a range of experiences and opportunities.
Physical health and emotional resilience
Our dedication to physical wellness and a constructive outlook on leading an active life is vital for children to understand that sustaining a healthy body not only requires consistent exercise, a nutritious diet, sufficient rest but also attention to our own mental, emotional and spiritual health.
The interconnection between mental health and physical wellbeing is a cornerstone of holistic health, particularly for children. Just as a sturdy foundation supports a towering structure, a sound mind fortifies a healthy body, enabling children to flourish and thrive in various aspects of their lives.
This involves nurturing positive self-perception, self-awareness, self-discipline and healthy relationships and connections with others as well as appreciating the importance of the less tangible aspects of life such as spirituality, awe and wonder and how music and the arts can add value to the rich tapestry of life.
Courageous Advocacy
We recognise through our theologically rooted Christian vision that collectively and through fellowship we are beacon of hope in a world often overshadowed by darkness. Our school community radiates warmth and light, offering solace to the weary and strength to the downtrodden. In times of turmoil and strife, it is the loving heart that whispers words of comfort, gently guiding others towards healing and reconciliation.
Our goal is to nurture the child to become a conscientious member of society, positively impacting the world through acts of kindness, respect, hope, ambition, etiquette, empathy, compassion, sound decision-making, advocacy against injustice, and spiritual enlightenment. This includes the ability to forgive both others and themselves and build bridges to seek a more peaceful harmonious world.
Curious minds
Developing an inquisitive mind is a journey that leads to a deeper understanding of the world and oneself. It involves cultivating curiosity, asking questions, seeking answers, and embracing the unknown.
Our curriculum and teaching approach is designed to nurture confident, self-reliant learners, equipped with resilience, resourcefulness, critical thinking, adaptability, problem-solving, and adeptness at overcoming obstacles.
We strive for them to embrace flexibility in their viewpoints, remain self-aware throughout their learning journey, and actively refine their learning strategies whilst cultivating a thirst for knowledge, wisdom, and the essential cultural capital required to flourish and thrive in a rapidly evolving world.
Mental health and well-being
We value children’s health and well-being and introduced Basil, our school pet, and therapeutic dog in September 2020.
Basil had his own mishap during lockdown and lost a leg in a freak accident. The good news is that he has made a full recovery and has returned to running and jumping as if back to normal.
We turned this mishap into an opportunity and as inspiration to our children that disability need not be a barrier.
Basil is a great source of inspiration and brings joy, happiness, love, fun and a sense of awe and wonder into our school community. We also have a strong pastoral support programme and and a dedicated member of staff for mental health and well-being.
Basil, our therapeutic dog
Basil is often introduced during one-to-one pastoral support sessions to comfort children and help them open up and talk. He also offers comfort and a calming effect for children experiencing high levels of stress and frustration.
Watching Basil grow and develop, the children learn about the responsibilities of looking after a pet including routine care and daily commitment.
Basil also offers children the opportunity to learn that animals, like humans, can communicate their needs without using words. For example, Basil can communicate when he is feeling anxious, playful or bemused.
Basil routinely undertakes regular health checks, vaccines and necessary treatment. He works with individual children, groups or classes and always under strict control and supervision.
We are aware that it may not be appropriate to introduce Basil to all our children as some children may have phobias or allergies. Any parent who does not want their child to interact with the school dog will have their wishes respected.
Curricular aims
The purpose of our personal development programme is to help us equip children with the knowledge, attitude, skills and cultural capital they need to develop happy healthy relationships and make positive lifestyle choices by embracing life in its fullest sense and flourish spiritually, morally, emotionally, physically, socially and culturally.
The specific aims of our personal development programme are for our children to be:
principled members of society, contributing positively to the world in which they live having acquired empowering personal character qualities including respect, spiritual awareness, courageous advocacy, empathy, compassion, belonging, connection, hope and aspiration.
resourceful, self-motivated, inquisitive, analytical, evaluative, flexible, reflective, creative, empathetic, resilient, adaptable and confident independent learner equipped with the executive functioning skills that help them learn effectively.
literate and numerate and have the knowledge, know how and cultural capital they need to function and thrive in a dynamic and evolving world.
Promoting positive mental health
Healthy Habits
Both parents and the school play an important role in teaching and modelling the following habits and behaviours that can improve mental health and well-being. These include telling yourself something positive every day, living in the moment rather than focusing on what might happen or has happened, regular exercise and fresh air (every day), a balanced diet and drink sufficient fresh water each day, getting into the habit of talking and opening up to others, doing something for someone else each day (an act of kindness), taking a hobby and a wide variety of interest.
Curriculum
Our curriculum and ethos is a significant factor in promoting positive mental well-being. Curricular opportunities are designed to build resilience, self-awareness, good physical health, self-help strategies, developing positive attitudes, appreciation, gratitude, reflection, self-help, the ability to put things into perspective and a growth mind-set. This is achieved through our Relationships, Sex and Health Education programme. Planned activities help children to value stillness and silence, the intangible, music, the arts, appreciation, gratitude, a sense awe and wonder and dealing with negative thinking traps. Class teachers also provide pastoral. Pastoral support provides a listening ear to share worries as well as providing information, advice and guidance to children.
The role of adults
Our holistic approach to personal development and positive mental well-being emphasises fostering a deep respect for the child, environment, oneself, and others. This encourages children to cultivate a strong sense of self-respect, promoting a positive self-image whilst fostering a sense of empathy and understanding within the learning community. The role of adults in our school is to be respectful at all times, understand and empathise with the child's perspective, listen attentively, and appreciate accomplishments based on their starting points rather than superficial factors. Adults do not define children by their appearance, background or behaviour and do not invade children’s personal or emotional space without being invited. For example, a respectful adult is more interested in the fact a person is able to dress themselves than making a judgement on what they are wearing.
Zones of Regulation
This is a programme designed to foster self-regulation and emotional control which helps children gain skills in the area of self-regulation.
Scaling
This is where we teach the child to score their emotional response to a past or future event e.g. 1-5 to help them put events into perspective and then talk through strategies to help them change the score so it is perceived less stressful.
Emotional coaching
An emotional literacy intervention which helps identify feelings, recognise responses, and offers appropriate ways to manage feelings & improve confidence. This involves Naming and explaining emotions and their reasons e.g. ‘Look, you are getting hot and sweaty, this means you are feeling worried’.
Circles of Trust
This is a small group activity led by an adult that builds trust. The group is known as 'The Circle of Trust'. The exercise involves a group of people and aims to encourage co-ordination, co-operation, risk taking and trust e.g. children may work in pairs where one is blindfolded and the other must guide them round a room or to a destination or where children in a circle hold hands taking turns to lean in and out of the circle to test the trust and support of others.
Circle Time
Structured and safe group activities where the group learn early debating skills around motivational topics or around topics they have been asked to explore.
Talk Groups (Bubble Groups)
Talk Groups are facilitated by an adult to discuss issues and help children see different perspectives, challenge negative thoughts, find solutions and share strategies.
Friendship Buddies
Opportunities to support younger children at lunchtime where he can be supported to help them organise games and negotiate friendships in using what he has learnt to mediate younger peers. Peer to peer support offers the child dedicated time to talk with another child. This can be an older child. Similar to Talk Groups, it can help children see different perspectives, find solutions and share strategies.
Role play
Opportunities to role play different scenarios with peers and adults and talk about each character and the feelings they may experience.
Therapeutic and social stories
The use of therapeutic or social stories which touch upon different scenarios opening discussions around feelings of the characters for example.
Mindfulness and Yoga
One of the most common benefits of practising mindfulness is the decrease in stress experienced in people. It is also believed to improve focus, resilience and memory.
Mental rehearsal/guided imagery.
This is where an adult helps a child to imagine themselves successfully completing something that they fear or are anxious about. They are guided to rehearse that event mentally or in their minds eye and are encouraged to imagine how they would feel when they successfully complete the task/event.
Sensory activities/breaks
Access to sensory stimulation e.g. sensory materials/box, sensory circuits, therapy putty, (Chewy tubes for those who have a need to put things in their mouth). Some children feel the need for containment (to be covered). Sensory deprivation can lead to physical needs not being met which can lead to anxiety.
Sensory gym
Daily access to a circuit of activities designed to meet a child’s sensory needs. Includes stretching, rolling, hanging, encouragement to walk across different textures and support when negotiating steps and stairs. Physical activity like this can reduce anxiety levels.
3 Step approach to dealing with a fear
One of the best ways to help young people deal with anxiety is to find ways to face feared situations. Avoiding the situation can make matters worse and make them more anxious as they replay their fears over and over again, magnifying the emotion each time.
Step 1: Talk through each step of scenario; what will happen first, what will happen next and the possible positive outcomes.
Step 2: Challenge negative thoughts indirectly through questioning. Instead of reassuring the young person that nothing bad will happen, ask them things like what has happened in this situation before, what would you like to happen etc.
Step 3 : help the young person think through what they learned about their fears and about themselves. Did their fears come to true? Did they cope? Help the young person rate their anxiety on a scale of 1-5 or 1-10.
Personal Development
To help us deliver these core aims, we offer a broad range of curricular experiences and opportunities including:
a strong relationships curriculum (RSHE) designed to equip children with the knowledge they need to make informed choices whilst developing their moral compass and confidence to challenge all that constrains the human spirit such as greed, aggression, self-interest etc.
a teaching philosophy and curricular experiences that are consistent throughout the school such as inquiry, self directed learning, belief in the absorbent mind, a prepared environment to foster independence and teaching that encourages children to think hard and question.
a Montessori curriculum for our youngest learners that focuses on practical life skills, concentration, independence, responsibility, work habits and care for self and the environment.
learning between lessons where the excellent relationship between staff and pupils enable staff to take on a pastoral to support children's emotional and social development whilst modelling healthy relationships, grace and courtesy.
SMART Thinking and philosophical thinking
Class Circle Time
teaching activities that enable children to experience the non materialistic aspects of human nature such as awe, wonder of the world and appreciation
extra curricular activities including sports, coding, karate
residential trips
Forest school
local visits and visitors
community links including the library and a partner primary school
participation in a school council
themed days
school productions
enrichment activities
daily assemblies that centre around a broad range of themes
opportunities for children to plan and deliver whole school assemblies and run lunchtime clubs
Cultural Capital
Cultural Capital is the essential knowledge pupils need to broaden their options, choices and aspirations so that they can lead happy, fulfilling and rewarding lives. This involves introducing them to the best that has been thought and said to help engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.
We refer to this as being worldly wise. We have developed a strategy for helping our children become worldly wise. This includes:
Providing children with interesting and educationally rich stimulus, resources and topics including great literature, artwork, music, stories, poetry, drama, news articles, artefacts etc.
Providing children with interesting and educationally rich experiences such as themed days, residential trips, school trips, visitors and extra-curricular activities.
A curriculum that goes beyond the national curriculum with a strong emphasis on personal and character development.
Linking learning with important and inspirational people who have made a positive difference to the world in which we live e.g. Greta Thunberg, Emily Pankhurst, Rosa Parks, Tani-Grey-Thompson, Jamie Oliver.
Enabling children to think deeply within and each subject discipline and from the point of view of an expert within that field e.g. thinking as a geographer, historian, scientist, history or musician This opens up opportunities and avenues children may not have previously considered an option for a future career, hobby or interest because of low aspirations or expectations.
A knowledge rich curriculum that makes connections between subjects and equips them with the vocabulary and language skills to talk knowledgeably about a broad range of topics they may come across in everyday life.
Opportunities to debate hot topics of the day to broaden their understanding of matters of interest and learn that individuals have different perspectives and points of view.
A strong Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) Programme with clear progression of key concepts and knowledge children need as they progress through the school.
A structured 3 year cycle whole school assembly programme that explores a broad range of themes and topics that enables children to come together to as a community to thank, celebrate and receive wisdom and inspiration.
Social Development
This aspect of the curriculum enables children to develop and use a range of social skills. It also allows children to appreciate diverse viewpoints, respect the views and beliefs of others. participate, volunteer and cooperate and resolve conflict.
Social skills are learnt and taught. This means children learn social skills in context from the people around them and are taught where there are gaps in their skills or understanding. Adults in the school have a crucial role in modelling the social skills we wish our children to acquire.
Moral Development
Moral development is the opportunity for children to learn what is right and wrong, to respect the law; understand consequences; investigate moral and ethical issues and offer reasoned views.
This is achieved in a number of ways including discussion and debate, specific lessons and assembly time. Children learn from the outset right from wrong, making good choices and that there are school rules and ways to behave. They learn the reason for rules and how they benefit the community to function effectively.
We also use stories and real life examples to teach children the difference between right and wrong. Stories are used both whole school assembly time and class time. For example, assembly themes this year that have contributed to moral development include; what can we learn from Noah, the story of Adam and Eve, Moses and the 10 commandments, honesty and dishonesty, personal responsibility, dealing with temptation and moral dilemmas.
Aesop's fables are also used as part of our Collective Worship and Assembly themes that can reinforce and support moral development.
Spiritual Development
Spiritual Development involves providing children with the opportunity to appreciate the non-materialistic aspects of human nature, exploring beliefs and values, experiencing feelings including awe and wonder; learning about oneself, others and the surrounding world; developing imagination and creativity and reflecting on experiences. This can be achieved through the curriculum, between lessons and specific activities. Spiritual awareness is also about appreciating nature and recognising the importance of caring for our environment for the benefit of others.
Spirituality in a Church of England context
Spiritual development is not a separate standalone issue for church schools. It is intrinsic in everything that we do and everywhere within the school. Spirituality enables our children to be happy, flourish, succeed and live life to its fullest. It enables humankind to be fascinated, creative, reflective and consider the bigger questions in life that make us curious and grow inside.
Spirituality encourages the development of the whole person; mentally, emotionally, and morally. It fosters a sense of interconnectedness and purpose, promoting children's overall well-being. It also addresses existential questions about purpose and meaning in life and provides space for children to explore these questions contributing to their sense of fulfilment and direction, and connection with something beyond themselves. For those with faith this can mean a connection and relationship with God.
Cultural Development
This aspect of the curriculum enables children to explore, respect and appreciate cultural influences and diversity. It allows children the explore fundamental British values in relation to the role of democracy, individual liberty, the rule of law and respect and tolerance. It is also about participating in cultural opportunities so that they gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of people as well developing positive attitudes towards difference. Carefully chosen images used in lessons and Assembly time also contribute to children's understanding and appreciation of diversity.
Religious Education also provides an opportunity for children to learn about the diversity of faiths around the world and within our own country with a focus on similarities. Likewise, children learn about influential figures from around the world who have shaped the world and have made a positive influence on society.
Children learn about democracy and parliamentary system through the School Council and the RSHE curriculum. Each Class votes for a representative who carries forward the view of the class to seek change in a democratic way that is for the good of the whole rather than the individual.
Relationships, Sex and Health Education
Relationships, Sex and Health Education is interconnected and closely related to children’s Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural development (SMSC). With this in mind, our RSHE curriculum from Reception to Year 6 reflects and incorporates social, moral, spiritual and cultural development to form part of the curriculum we call personal or character development.
We feel having all these areas under one umbrella illustrates a joined up holistic approach to children’s personal development.
Personal or character development is an important part of our curriculum which also reflects our religious character and recognises the importance of the whole child.
‘So God created humankind in his image. In the image of God, He created them’. (Genesis I:27, NRSV)
The Church of England has set out a bold Vision for Education that is deeply Christian, serving the common good. This is set out in several strands.These strands include Hope, Aspiration and Courageous Advocacy (Strand 3), Community and Living Well Together (Strand 4) and Dignity and Respect (Strand 5) and all have been built into our RSHE curriculum.
We recognise that character building and character virtues underpin positive relationships and as such, ‘character’ is not exclusively developed solely through curricular opportunities, but also through interactions with other human beings.
This means all adults who work in our school are in the privileged position of shaping our children’s thoughts, values, virtues and attitudes by their own interactions.
Our Personal and Character development offer
These experiences are coherently planned to ensure a strong and consistent offer as children progress through the school. Our curricular map for Personal and Character Development can been downloaded using the link below:
Personal Development Curricular Map STI.pdf