PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT (PD)
Personal Development (PD) is at the heart of our school learning journey. It encourages, promotes, adopts and embeds a range of skills that allow children to be life-long learners, which is part of our school values.
We support all 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, PD education 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 as PD 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. PD education contributes to assisting 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 Education
- Eating healthily
- Keeping safe on the road
- How to stay safe online
- The promotion of good mental health
Assembly Programme
A programme of assemblies based on our values-based ethos helps to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and provide clear guidance for pupils on how to grow up to be the best person they can possible be. As well as the values assemblies, each term pupils also take part in:
- safeguarding assemblies,
- sports celebration assemblies
- music performance assemblies
- attendance assemblies
- British Values assemblies
PE/Sport Competitions, Clubs and Healthy Lifestyles
We provide pupils with a wide range of PE & Sport opportunities beyond the school day. Through our sports squads pupils compete in a range of competitions, sports festivals and local cluster fixtures. After school clubs such as multi sports, Dance, football and Athletics further provide opportunities for pupils to develop sporting skills, healthy lifestyle and positive attitudes. In addition, we currently have a wide variety of other clubs on offer such as: upcycling, cooking, Lego Therapy and more. We currently have 77% of our Pupil Premium children attending at least one of these clubs.
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
- Dental Health
- Road safety experts
In addition to this, we utilise our Curriculum offer to inspire visits outside of school. All trips are funded at Bramley Park Academy, inclusive of two residential excursions to ensure our pupils have the social development required on their academic and social journey. Residentials and trips are free for all.
Anti- Bullying
Bramley Park Academy promotes an environment free from threat, harassment and any type of bullying behaviour.
Our aims include:
- Ensuring all members of the school community have 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.
Mindmate, Thrive and Escape Counselling
There is a very strong focus at Bramley Park Academy on removing barriers to learning, often involving highly effective inter-partnership work with the cluster, particularly for pupils facing major challenges in their lives outside of school.
This has included support from within the Trust, Cluster and partnership schools. This is inclusive of Mind mate and Escayp counselling.
We are a Thrive school whereby all professionals support this approach both at a whole class level and individual targeted support.
Useful Links
Pop ‘n’ Olly – LGBT+ education for primary schools
Bullying – Advice and support for children and young people experiencing bullying
Childline – A counselling service for children and young people.
BBC Bitesize – PSHE and citizenship videos to help children’s understanding.
NCPCC’s Pantosaurus – A video to help children stay safe and keeping their private parts private.
Mindmate – Mental Wellbeing resources for young people.
Thrive – positive mental health and emotional wellbeing in children and young people
Escayp – Emotional Support For Children And Young People