The school’s vision is modelled in the Personal Development curriculum, where we believe in inclusive education for all.
We believe that all of our students deserve a curriculum that meets their differing needs and enables them to fulfil their unique potential.
We want our students to be successful members of the community and to maximise their life opportunities. It is the intention of the curriculum to enable this.
Core Values across the curriculum Personal Development
Our curriculum intent is:
- Coherently plan, sequence and adapt our curriculum to meet the unique needs of all of our learners.
- Offer breadth of study at KS3 that is sequential in leading to study at KS4; all students will be stretched and challenged over 5 years, taking into account different starting points.
- By drawing on other subjects in school such as English, Maths, Science and Geography students can develop effective literacy and numeracy skills through digital technology. This creates learners who are confident and competent readers, writers and speakers, with essential analytical skills needed for life.
- Embed a range of wider enrichment opportunities and experiences, at least one per term, to ensure our learners have an educational experience that is rich and varied.
- Encompass the whole school core values through the Personal Development curriculum.
As a result the Personal Development curriculum will:
- Develop the knowledge, skills and attributes students need to manage their lives, now and in the future. These skills and attributes help students to stay healthy, safe and prepare them for life and work in modern Britain as responsible members of society.
- Develop digital skills that removes all barriers to learning and provide opportunities for students to support their academic studies by giving ALL students a broad and wide experience of school life.
- Enable students to engage with skills, ideas and activities which they can see has an immediate link with the world outside of school as well as in.
- Develop resilience, self-esteem, team working skills and critical thinking.
- Support all students to feel confident to articulate their feelings, develop empathy and understanding and develop their communication skills to be able to do this.
- Allow all students across KS3 and KS4 to participate in fortnightly lessons dedicated to Personal Development, focusing on five main themes: Health and Wellbeing, Relationships, Citizenship, Careers and Financial Capability.
- Support the assembly programme to enable our students to develop a wider understanding of personal development and how it also fits into their everyday lives.
- Work closely alongside other professionals and agencies to ensure contemporary issues and issues in our local and wider area are addressed; ensuring our dynamic curriculum best safeguards and educates our students.
- Ensure students are challenged and stretched by developing their leadership, organisation, resilience, initiative and communication skills in order to provide foundations for every aspect of school life.
The Personal Development Curriculum
Each year group attends an assembly once a week. These tie in well to at least one of our five themes which run through Personal Development and support our students to develop a wider understanding, and how it also fits into their everyday lives.
We work closely alongside other professionals and agencies to ensure our finger is on the pulse for the hot topics and issues in our local and wider area and ensure our dynamic curriculum best safeguards and educates our students.
Throughout the year, students across the school will take part in Enrichment Days. These off-timetable days will cover a range of topics that will widen student’s knowledge and understanding as well as allowing them to take part in an alternative way of learning. During these days, we will also have lots of guest speakers in to talk to students and to run workshops.
We firmly believe that Personal Development is everyone’s responsibility here at Kidsgrove Secondary School. We frequently undertake audits of where we are delivering PD content across subject areas to ensure we are all working together to address this important aspect of student’s learning.
Personal Development Whole School Subject Audit
Form Time
At KSS, our student's day begins with their form time. In this session we will ensure they are prepared for the day through SmartStart, deliver any information that needs to be shared, and will participate in a Form Time programme.
SmartStart – This is checked at the start of every day and includes what we would expect our students to have so they are ready to learn.
“A form tutor is a teacher whose subject is the students themselves”
The role of a form tutor is very important. As form tutors, we are the first point of contact for all students in our tutor group and it provides the opportunity to set the tone for their day.
We are there to support all students from both an academic, and wellbeing perspective and it is also our responsibility to monitor their performance both academically and socially to ensure they have the best opportunity to shine. We are also available to speak to the parents/carers of those students in our form and establish a team of support around them.
Assembly Programme
Our assembly programme has been developed to suit our students and to address global and local issues as well as raising awareness. It challenges perceptions, supports students to be active and healthy and encourages healthy relationships. Careers, raising aspirations and how subjects develop your skills and qualities to support you later in life also themes that run throughout our assembly programme. Our assembly programme is also fluid where appropriate to allow us to address current affairs and issues within our local or global community.