Personal Development

Newton Ferrers CofE Primary School

Personal Development

Personal Development is at the heart of our school learning journey.  It encourages promotes, adopts and embeds a range of skills that allow children to flourish together as members of not only our school and local community but as citizens of the world.

We support children to acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to manage their lives, now and in the future. As part of a whole-school approach, our curriculum develops the qualities and attributes children need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society. The benefits to pupils of such an approach are numerous, it prepares them to manage many of the most critical opportunities, challenges and responsibilities they will face growing up in such rapidly changing and challenging times. It also helps them to connect and apply the knowledge and understanding they learn in all subjects to practical, real-life situations while helping them to feel safe and secure enough to fulfil their academic potential.

Our whole school approach promotes effective relationships between all members of the school community. The promotion of pupils’ personal and social development underpins other learning. This contributes to assist children and young people to build their personal identities, confidence and self-esteem and understand what influences their decisions. Developing self-understanding, empathy and the ability to work with others helps our pupils to enjoy healthy and productive relationships in all aspects of their lives.

Skills Children Learn:

Always in an age appropriate way, we help the children manage their lives, now and in the future, and help them to learn everyday, essential, life skills, including:

• The Development of self-understanding, empathy and healthy, productive relationships
• Relationships and Sex Education
• Eating healthily (cooking) and leading a healthy active lifestyle
• Keeping safe on the road
• How to stay safe on the internet
• The promotion of good mental health

• The importance of money and managing this
• Basic first aid
• Leadership skills
• The value of service and volunteer work.
• Careers and the skills needed for these.
• Community cohesion.
• Rights and responsibilities
• Confidence through public speaking and debating
• Appreciation and gratitude for what we have through learning about the lives and experiences of others.

PHSE and Relationships education is a core component of our PD offer.

In keeping with our School ethos, the children are encouraged, and frequently reminded, to speak to a trusted adult when they have any concerns or worries knowing that they will be heard by a caring, loving adult.

Visits

Throughout the school year, we are fortunate to have various visitors to help bring our PD curriculum to life, including visits from:

• The Police
• The Fire Service
• A dental health advisor
• Road safety experts
• Theatre and music groups.

• Parents sharing careers and experiences
• Faith leaders.

Anti- Bullying

Newton Ferrers Primary School promotes an environment free from threat, harassment and any type of bullying behaviour.

Our aims include:
• Ensuring all members of the school community has an understanding of what constitutes bullying.
• Creating an atmosphere and environment where children, parents and staff feel able to tell the school about bullying if it arises and are confident it will be taken seriously and dealt with.
• To put in place clear procedures for dealing with incidents of bullying.

Children’s Mental health

Children’s Mental Health Week. Each year we celebrates Children’s Mental Health Week. This is a great week that highlights our ongoing focus of promoting good mental health for all children. We also have mental health breaks built into class routines where needed. Our curriculum promotes positive mental health through a robust PHSE curriculum, additional outdoor, music, beach and farm learning experiences and assemblies.

Kindness Awards
Each week children and adults can nominate other children who have shown kindness and these children are acknowledged- their kind actions praised as good examples in assembly.

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)

RSE teaching at Newton Ferrers CofE Primary  teaches children to develop values, attitudes, personal and social skills, and increase their knowledge and understanding to make informed decisions and choices when they are adults. Each year group will be taught appropriate to their age and developmental stage.

Why do we teach Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)?

There are four main aims of teaching RSE:

• To empower children to be safe and safeguarded.

• To enable children to understand and respect their bodies

• To help children develop positive and healthy relationships appropriate to their age and  development

• To support children to have positive self-esteem and body image

We choose to teach Sex Education and Section 405 of the Education Act 1996 provides the right of parental withdrawal from the RSE provided at school except for those parts included in the National Curriculum. The Science curriculum in all maintained schools also includes content on human development, including reproduction, which there is no right to withdraw from.