Personal Development

Personal Development is a subject that students take all through school. In KS3 students are timetabled for one hour each week. In KS4 students are timetabled for one lesson per fortnight. It is an important subject which covers many different aspects of student development. This includes the following topics:

The Personal Development Department consists of five staff who are trained to deliver the many different aspects of P.D. We are occasionally assisted by external speakers and have good links with members of the local business community; the school nurse; local police and fire officers and Brook to name just a few.

The PD department is responsible for organizing competitions and events such as the Citizenship Foundation´s Magistrates´ Mock Trial Competition; an annual Post 16 Options Evening and various enterprise activity days. We also hold a Work Experience information evening for parents of year 10 students and offer opportunites for parents to learn about our policies for Sex and Relationships Education and Substance Education at parent forums. Students will be given a report on their effort and behaviour in Personal Development and at the end of year 9 they will receive a Citizenship report.

The Pupil Development Curriculum aims to fulfil the requirements for ´Every Child Matters´ and because this subject is about the students they are given opportunity to evaluate the Schemes of Work at student council meetings. Their comments are taken into consideration when planning the schemes of work for the following year.