Personal development

Personal development lessons aim to provide students a well rounded learning experience in a wide range of subjects such as personal health and relationships, social and mental wellbeing, citizenship and economic education.
The study of this equips students with the skills and knowledge they need to live healthy, safe and positive lives.

Subject Leaders

Jenica Harper |  Jharper@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Hanna O'Mahoney |  homahoney@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Hiri Arunagiri |  harunagiri@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Our Ethos

Our students are going through adolescence in an increasingly complex world within which to navigate. They are living their lives both on and offline. Whilst this poses many challenges and risks, this also can open doors to many positive and exciting opportunities which they can explore safely, if they are well informed. Our role as a school is to ensure that our curriculum is broad enough to help them manage their academic, personal and social lives in a positive manner in order to be safe and healthy. At Acland Burghley we wish to equip them with sound knowledge on which they can make informed decisions, a broad skill set with which to make confident choices and with personal attributes that foster all students’ wellbeing and character so that they become successful adults.

How is Personal development taught?

The developing personal development curriculum aims to be age and developmentally appropriately and it is key that it is taught sensitively and inclusively, respecting the wide ranging backgrounds and beliefs of our students. We want students to believe that they can achieve goals through periods of uncertainty and also be able to develop resilience so that they have the skills to recover from setbacks during this challenging period in their lives.

All students in Y7 to Y13 will have one Personal development lesson every fortnight, most likely to be delivered by their tutor or through workshops run by staff and external experts. Students will develop their understanding of British values, laws and institutions and consider their role in society. They also develop various strategies to manage their emotions and ensure good health and well-being. This will be complemented by a series of weekly tutor time activities and 3 discreet “drop down” days in the year.  The curriculum has been sequenced and fully embedded with both the knowledge and skills needed for future learning and employment.

Below is an outline of the sessions that will be covered for each year group. The programme has been developed alongside the statutory framework to ensure that students at Acland Burghley have the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.

Student Voice

Student Voice aims to establish strong collaboration between staff and students to help shape school policies.

We want to empower our students to have their opinions heard, and we do this in the following ways:

• Student council – assists with school events, assemblies and decisions made around the school
• Our Y9 Youth Parliament representative in Camden Council
• Student surveys – these focus on a range of topics to help make improvements in the school
• Jack Petchey award – to showcase the excellent achievements of our students.

Relationship and Sex Education (RSE):

Relationships and Sex education (RSE) is learning about the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing up, relationships, sex, human sexuality and sexual health.

This is an important part of PSHCEE as it enables young people to receive factual information about sex and relationships as well as address myths and misconceptions which can be dangerous. Good quality RSE enables young people to equip themselves with the necessary skills and confidence to make positive and informed decision about their relationships and their health. It will also help young people learn to respect themselves and others and move with confidence from childhood through adolescence into adulthood. The full RSE policy is available here and Ms Arunagiri will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the specific and age appropriate content of these sessions.

The Personal Social Health Citizenship and Economic (PSHCE)

The PSHCE curriculum is a programme of learning through which our students acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to live healthy, safe, productive, capable, responsible and balanced lives now and in the future.   

As part of a whole-school approach, PSHCE develops the qualities and attributes students need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society. PSHCE contributes to personal development by helping students to build their confidence, resilience and self-esteem, and to identify and manage risk, make informed choices and understand what influences their decisions. It enables them to recognise, accept and shape their identities, to understand and accommodate difference and change, to manage emotions and to communicate constructively in a variety of settings.

Developing an understanding of themselves, empathy and the ability to work with others will help students to form and maintain good relationships, develop the essential skills for future employability and better enjoy and manage their lives. The curriculum encourages them to be enterprising and supports them in making effective transitions, positive learning and career choices and in achieving economic well-being. A critical component of PSHCE education is providing opportunities for students to reflect on and clarify their own values and attitudes and explore the complex and sometimes conflicting range of values and attitudes they encounter now and in the future.

 

 

Structure of the curriculum

Students in Y7 to Y11 will have one PD lesson every fortnight and 4 PD based tutor times to be delivered by their tutor or through workshops run by staff and external experts. Students will develop their understanding of British values, laws and institutions and consider their role in society. They also develop various strategies to manage their emotions and ensure good health and well-being. This will be complemented by assemblies and “drop down” days in the year.  The curriculum has been sequenced and fully embedded with both the knowledge and skills needed for future learning and employment. 

We have a spiral PD curriculum and our aim is to ensure that knowledge and understanding is built upon throughout the years at school, whilst also making cross-curricular links where possible and appropriate. Topics are aimed at the developmental stage of students and this will be revised regularly to ensure that they are suitable. The programme has been developed alongside the statutory framework to ensure that students at Acland Burghley have the knowledge and cultural awareness they need to succeed in life. Topics come under the following 3 themes: 

1. Health and Wellbeing (Autumn Term)

This theme covers mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. It includes enriching and understanding of what mental ill health can look like, healthy coping mechanisms and promoting positive mental health in oneself and others. 

2. Relationships and Sex Education (Spring Term)

This covers the development of healthy relationships and incorporates the statutory requirements of Relationships and Sex education. This includes exploring how to build healthy relationships with family and peers before looking at romantic relationships, consent, contraception and choices.  The aim is to equip students with knowledge to make informed choices, behave in a respectful and appropriate manner and understand the law around Sex, Relationships and Media.

3. Living in the Wider World (Summer Term)

Developing awareness of global issues and different cultures can influence personal change. Students will enhance their understanding of broader topics such as personal finance, social justice and conservation to be able to contribute positively to their local and wider community.

Personal Development timetable

 

Autumn 1	Y7	Y8	Y9	Y10	Y11
18-Sep-23	Lifestyle Choices - Eating Healthy, exercise and energy drinks	Emotional Literacy and Self-awareness	Vaccinations, blood and organ donations and stem cells	Social media, screen time and links to self esteem	Perseverence and Procrastination - setting goals for Year 11
02-Oct-23	Lifestyle Choices - Smoking	Vaping, Nicotine and Addiction	Alcohol Awareness	Homelessness	Gambling, online gaming and our digital footprint
16-Oct-23	Life Style Choices - Drugs	Cancer Awareness	Drugs and the Law	Social Anxiety and Binge Drinking	Personal Safety
Autumn 2
06-Nov-23	Drop down day 1 - Personal Safety
20-Nov-23	Puberty and Periods	Personal Safety and First Aid	Equalities act 2010 and how it affects us all	Managing Grief and bereavement	Online Safety and the dark web
04-Dec-23	FGM	Teen Pregnancy and Parenting	Managing Anxiety and coping with stress	Suicide Awareness	Managing our physical and mental health
18-Dec-23	Emotions and Mental Health	Managing mental health through mindfulness	Self Harm - helping yourself and others	Tattoos and Piercings	Managing our lifestyle choices and our peers
Spring 1
08-Jan-24	Bullying or Banter (online and offline)	Body Image	Body image, the media and eating disorders	Gender and Identity (including sexism)	Developing Sexuality and readiness for sex
22-Jan-24	Different Healthy Relationships	Safe sex - consent, sexting and image sharing	Peer Pressure	What is revenge porn and what is sexual harassment?	types of relationships and dealing with change and break ups
01-Feb-24	STEAM day
05-Feb-24	Relationships and our feelings	Relationships and Intimacy	Domestic Violence and Abusive Relationships	Different types of relationships (including forced and arranged marriages)	Consent, Rape and Sexual Abuse
Spring 2
26-Feb-24	Personal Identity	Safe sex - contraception	Safe sex - STIs	Safe Sex - Making decisions	Fertility and reproductive health
11-Mar-24	Radicalisation and Extremism	Safe sex - pornography	Child Sexual Exploitation	Parenting and our relationship with role models	Embracing personal identity and diversity in our relationships
25-Mar-24	Child Early and forced Marriage	Preventing radicalisation and extremism	Relationships with and understanding our diverse community	Media influence on managing conflict and community cohesion	Adulting, self worth and celebrating successes as a community
Summer 1
15-Apr-24	Social Media - Safe and Private	Budgeting and Saving, Income Tax and NI	Credit vs Debit	Antisocial behaviour, crime, gangs and county lines	Revision and exam preparation
29-Apr-24	Managing Money	Teens and the Media	Our rights as consumers and managing financial institutions	How does the criminal justice system work?	Revision and exam preparation
13-May-24	Online wellbeing - fake news and echo chambers	Know your rights	Scams and gambling	Making choices - cosmetic and plastic surgery
Summer 2
17-Jun-24	Prejudice and Discrimination - Racism	Prejudice and Discrimination - Disabilities	Human Rights (genocide, trafficking, charity and sending aid)	Getting ready for work experience	exams
01-Jul-24	CEIAG Dropdown day - Money Matters
15-Jul-24	Reflection of the year and emotional literacy	Impact of Knife Crime and how does the law treat young offenders	Reflection of the year and emotional literacy		exams