Personal Development
Curriculum Leader: Mr R. Jones
Personal Development is like no other subject: there is no exam, it is discursive, involves projects in school, assemblies, alternative curriculum days, outside speakers and workshops and is approached from a different angle to other parts of the school curriculum. Sometimes described as ‘learning about life’, it covers a range of topics, for example, sex & relationship education, drug education, mental health, peer pressure, self-esteem, healthy eating to name but a few topics.
The main focus of the curriculum content is to address the newly statutory content (from September 2020) in the personal, social, health & economic education (PSHE), as well as making a significant contribution to the planned careers programme. The department also devotes specific curriculum lessons as to promoting basic important British values as part of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development.
All pupils are currently taught Personal Development by a member of the department team one hour a week at key stage 3 and one hour a fortnight in key stage 4
Given the sensitive nature of some of the material there are a large number of policies (see policy and forms) that are highly relevant to this area. Please note that parents have the right to withdraw children from the Sex & Relationship Education programme and in the first instance should contact the school to be informed of the procedure.
Personal Development will enable students to feel positive about who they are and to enjoy healthy, safe, responsible and fulfilled lives. Through active learning opportunities pupils will learn to recognise and manage risk, take increasing responsibility for themselves, their choices and behaviours and make positive contributions to their families, schools and communities.
Students will learn to recognise, develop and communicate their qualities, skills and attitudes. They build knowledge, confidence and self-esteem and make the most of their abilities. Students will learn to identify and articulate feelings and emotions, learn to manage new or difficult situations positively and form and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of people.
Our aim therefore is to provide pupils with:
- Accurate and relevant knowledge
- Opportunities to turn that knowledge into personal understanding
- Opportunities to explore, clarify and if necessary challenge, their own and others’ values, attitudes, beliefs, rights and responsibilities
- The skills and strategies they need in order to live healthy, safe, fulfilling, and responsible and balanced lives.
At Fulford we know that learning and undertaking activities in Personal Development contribute to achievement of the wider curriculum entitlement at Fulford School
- Have access to a broad and balanced curriculum which supports the concept of equal value and opportunities and that promotes personal development and meets individual needs
- Experience enjoyment in learning and achieve a sense of purpose and fulfilment in the tasks and activities presented to them
- Enjoy a curriculum and learning environment which nurtures self-respect, self-confidence and the ability to respect other people’s points of view
- Experience school as a caring supportive community where there is equal opportunity for all, a real concern to develop individual potential and where the learning partnership of children, parents and teachers is developed and valued
- Experience a range of teaching and learning styles in a range of learning environments
- Have access to individual personal, social, careers and vocational guidance to ensure that education is seen to develop the ‘whole person’
- Are involved in the assessment and review of their own work, progress and resulting target setting
- Understand their role in society and the economy and can act as active citizens in the local, national and global community
In Personal Development lessons at Fulford, we will:
- Create a comfortable class room climate where students are confident and discuss their hopes, fears and sensitive issues
- Develop a set of ground rules for the PD class room
- Model good practice in the way we talk to students
- Provide enrichment opportunities that support and develop our students emotional and physical well being
- Work with external providers to provide the best possible experience and expertise for our students
- Remain flexible with our Curriculum and respond to issues as and when they arise.
Schools should continue to develop knowledge on topics specified for primary as required and in addition cover the following content by the end of secondary: | |
Mental wellbeing | · how to talk about their emotions accurately and sensitively, using appropriate vocabulary. · that happiness is linked to being connected to others. · how to recognise the early signs of mental wellbeing concerns. · common types of mental ill health (e.g. anxiety and depression). · how to critically evaluate when something they do or are involved in has a positive or negative effect on their own or others’ mental health. · the benefits and importance of physical exercise, time outdoors, community participation and voluntary and service-based activities on mental wellbeing and happiness. |
Internet safety and harms | · the similarities and differences between the online world and the physical world, including: the impact of unhealthy or obsessive comparison with others online (including through setting unrealistic expectations for body image), how people may curate a specific image of their life online, over-reliance on online relationships including social media, the risks related to online gambling including the accumulation of debt, how advertising and information is targeted at them and how to be a discerning consumer of information online. · how to identify harmful behaviours online (including bullying, abuse or harassment) and how to report, or find support, if they have been affected by those behaviours |
Physical health and fitness | · the positive associations between physical activity and promotion of mental wellbeing, including as an approach to combat stress. · the characteristics and evidence of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle, maintaining a healthy weight, including the links between an inactive lifestyle and ill health, including cancer and cardio-vascular ill-health. · about the science relating to blood, organ and stem cell donation. |
Healthy eating | · how to maintain healthy eating and the links between a poor diet and health risks, including tooth decay and cancer. |
Drugs, alcohol and tobacco | · the facts about legal and illegal drugs and their associated risks, including the link between drug use and serious mental health conditions. · the law relating to the supply and possession of illegal substances. · the physical and psychological risks associated with alcohol consumption and what constitutes low risk alcohol consumption in adulthood. · the physical and psychological consequences of addiction, including alcohol dependency. · awareness of the dangers of drugs which are prescribed but still present serious health risks. · the facts about the harms from smoking tobacco (particularly the link to lung cancer), the benefits of quitting and how to access support to do so. |
Health and prevention | · about personal hygiene, germs including bacteria, viruses, how they are spread, treatment and prevention of infection, and about antibiotics. · about dental health and the benefits of good oral hygiene and flossing, including healthy eating and regular check-ups at the dentist. · (late secondary) the benefits of regular self-examination and screening. · the facts and science relating to immunisation and vaccination. · the importance of sufficient good quality sleep for good health and how a lack of sleep can affect weight, mood and ability to learn. |
Basic first aid | · basic treatment for common injuries. · life-saving skills, including how to administer CPR. · the purpose of defibrillators and when one might be needed. |
Changing adolescent body | · key facts about puberty and the changing adolescent body and menstrual wellbeing. · the main changes which take place in males and females, and the implications for emotional and physical health. |
Schools should continue to develop knowledge on topics specified for KS1/2 as required and in addition cover the following content by the end of KS4: | |
Families | · that there are different types of committed, stable relationships. · how these relationships might contribute to human happiness and their importance for bringing up children. · what marriage is, including their legal status e.g. that marriage carries legal rights and protections not available to couples who are cohabiting or who have married, for example, in an unregistered religious ceremony. · why marriage is an important relationship choice for many couples and why it must be freely entered into. · the characteristics and legal status of other types of long-term relationships. · the roles and responsibilities of parents with respect to the raising of children, including characteristics of successful parenting. · how to: determine whether other children, adults or sources of information are trustworthy, judge when a family, friend, intimate or other relationships is unsafe (and to recognise this in others’ relationships); and, how to seek help or advice, including reporting concerns about others, if needed. |
Respectful relationships including friendships | · the characteristics of positive and healthy friendships (both on and offline) including: trust, respect, honesty, kindness, generosity, boundaries, privacy, consent and the management of conflict, reconciliation and ending relationships. This includes different (non-sexual) types of relationship. · Practical steps they can take in a range of different contexts to improve or support respectful relationships · how stereotypes, in particular stereotypes based on sex, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability, can cause damage (e.g. how they might normalise non-consensual behaviour or encourage prejudice). · that in school and in wider society they can expect to be treated with respect by others, and that in turn they should show due tolerance and respect to others and others’ beliefs, including people in positions of authority and due tolerance of other peoples’ beliefs. · about different types of bullying (including cyberbullying), the impact of bullying, responsibilities of bystanders to report bullying and how and where to get help. · that some types of behaviour within relationships are criminal, including violent behaviour and coercive control. · what constitutes sexual harassment and sexual violence and why these are always unacceptable. · the legal rights and responsibilities regarding equality (particularly with reference to the protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010) and that everyone is unique and equal |
Online and media | · their rights, responsibilities and opportunities online, including that the same expectations of behaviour apply in all contexts including online. · about online risks, including that any material someone provides to another has the potential to be shared online and the difficulty of removing potentially compromising material placed online. · not to provide material to others that they would not want shared further and not to share personal material which is sent to them. · what to do and where to get support to report material or manage issues online. · the impact of viewing harmful content. · that specifically sexually explicit material e.g. pornography often presents a distorted picture of sexual behaviours, can damage the way people see themselves in relation to others and negatively affect how they behave towards sexual partners. · that sharing and viewing indecent images of children (including those created by children) is a criminal offence which carries severe penalties including jail. · how information and data is generated, collected, shared and used online. |
Being safe | · the concepts of, and laws relating to, sexual consent, sexual exploitation, abuse, grooming, coercion, harassment, rape, domestic abuse, forced marriage, honour based violence and FGM, and how these can affect current and future relationships. · how people can actively communicate and recognise consent from others, including sexual consent, and how and when consent can be withdrawn (in all contexts including online). |
Intimate and sexual relationships including sexual health | · how to recognise the characteristics and positive aspects of healthy one-to-one intimate relationships, which include mutual respect, consent, loyalty, trust, shared interests and outlook, sex and friendship. · that all aspects of health can be affected by choices they make in sex and relationships, positively or negatively, e.g. physical, emotional, mental, sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing. · the facts about reproductive health, including fertility and the potential impact of lifestyle on fertility for men and women. · that there are a range of strategies for identifying and managing sexual pressure, including understanding peer pressure, resisting pressure and not pressurising others. · that they have a choice to delay sex or to enjoy intimacy without sex. · the facts about the full range of contraceptive choices, efficacy and options available. · the facts around pregnancy including miscarriage. · that there are choices in relation to pregnancy (with medically and legally accurate, impartial information on all options, including keeping the baby, adoption, abortion and where to get further help). · how the different sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDs, are transmitted, how risk can be reduced through safer sex (including through condom use) and the importance of and facts about testing. · about the prevalence of some STIs, the impact they can have on those who contract them and key facts about treatment. · how the use of alcohol and drugs can lead to risky sexual behaviour. · how to get further advice, including how and where to access confidential sexual and reproductive health advice and treatment. |