Personal Development
Aims
The aim of our whole school curriculum is to support children and young people to be confident, resilient, tolerant, emotionally literate and ambitious learners who are able to effectively communicate within their wider community as part of modern Britain.
The personal development ‘offer’ and curriculum is therefore at the heart of what we do and sits alongside our formal academic curriculum.
The Personal Development offer at The Brookfield School aims to develop student understanding of our differences and to build skills and confidence in all students. This will allow them to feel able to raise issues, question ideas and reflect on their learning, to allow them to develop as well-rounded young people who can contribute meaningfully to the wider community and go on to lead successful, healthy lives.
Our schemes of work are progressive, relevant and responsive to student need.
How do we teach Personal Development at The Brookfield School?
- It is taught in discrete lessons through our PSHE curriculum
- It is taught with cross-curricular links through The Learning Challenge curriculum and other lessons, such as English, Physical Education, and Religious Education.
- All staff consistently model how to be effective citizens who uphold the school values.
- School Council
- Sports Leaders
- Assemblies - Whole school, special visitors and celebration
- Celebrating positive learning outcomes and effort with shared praise and certificates
- After-school clubs
- Competing in competitions
- Well-sequenced day and residential trips.
- Celebrating different languages, cultures and religions
Developing:
- Responsible, respectful and active citizens who are able to play their part and become actively involved in public life as adults
- Pupils’ understanding of the fundamental British values of democracy, individual liberty, the rule of law and mutual respect and tolerance
- Pupils’ character, which Ofsted defines as a set of positive personal traits, dispositions and virtues that informs their motivation and guides their conduct so that they reflect wisely, learn eagerly, behave with integrity and cooperate consistently well with others
- Pupils’ confidence, resilience and knowledge so that they can keep themselves mentally healthy
- Pupils’ understanding of how to keep physically healthy, eat healthily and maintain an active lifestyle, including giving ample opportunities for pupils to be active during the school day and through extra-curricular activities
- Pupils’ age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships through appropriate relationships and sex education
We are currently appointing school council representatives.
Older pupils have written and delivered speeches to their classes. Following this, pupils have voted for a school council representative for their class. The school council will attend meetings half termly with a focus and feedback their classes thoughts.
Clubs for Autumn 2024 - Supporting pupils to be active through extra-curricular activities and to make healthy choices
Developing confidence and resilience - Year 5 and 6 Residential to The Wilderness Centre 2024
Developing healthy lifestyles - fruit kebab making
We won The Determination Award 2024 at the primary school games!
Developing an understanding of where food comes from and eating healthy
Developing physical health, mental health and an active lifestyle through the use of the gym, cycle track, bikability, Green Spider Climbing, primary school games....
Promoting:
- Equality of opportunity so that all pupils can thrive together, understanding that difference is a positive, not a negative, and that individual characteristics make people unique
- An inclusive environment that meets the needs of all pupils, irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation
Upcoming events for 2024-2025
October - Black History Month
November 10th - Inter Faith Week
November 11th - Anti-bullying Week
November 13th - Transgender Awareness Week
December 10h - Human Rights Day
February - LGBT+ History Month
March 18th - Neurodiversity Celebration Week
Enabling:
- Pupils to recognise online and offline risks to their wellbeing
- Pupils to recognise the dangers of inappropriate use of mobile technology and social media
Year 5 and 6 have been working on healthy relationships and managing strong emotions with CLIMB
Internet Safety Week
Year 9 looked at persuasive features that apps may use to encourage users to stay engaged. They discussed how these can impact our day-to-day lives and which ones they believed would be the most likely to keep us engaged. After this, they designed our own app with a £2000 budget using persuasive features. They then created presentations about their project and as a class voted which one would be the most effective at keeping us engaged and why.
Many of our young people work with CLIMB:
CLIMB sessions are delivered in partnership with the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, to protect young people from criminal exploitation.
CLIMB work with schools, the police, social care, activity providers, and others to build safer communities, supporting young people who are missing school or college, have run away from home or care, or at risk of being forced into criminal activity.
To find out more, please visit https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/
Supporting:
- Readiness for the next phase of education, training or employment so that pupils are equipped to make the transition successfully
Providing secondary school pupils with:
- Unbiased careers advice
- Experience of work
- Contact with employers to encourage pupils to aspire, make good choices and understand what they need to do to reach and succeed in the careers to which they aspire
Open Events at Herefordshire Colleges:
Herefordshire College - 9th November 2024, 15th January 2025, 4th March 2025, 5th April 2025
For more information visit https://hlnsc.ac.uk/colleges/herefordshire-college/
Holme Lacy College - 9th November 2024, 5th April 2025
For more information visit https://hlnsc.ac.uk/colleges/holme-lacy-college/
Ludlow Sixth Form College - 3rd October 2024, 11th January 2025, 8th July 2025
For more information visit https://hlnsc.ac.uk/colleges/ludlow-sixth-form-college/
For Hereford and Ludlow Apprenticeships visit https://hlnsc.ac.uk/apprenticeships/
For further education support at Hoople visit https://www.hoopleltd.co.uk/education/
Work Experience at The Courtyard - Summer 2024
Awards
The Brookfield School have been commended on going the extra mile for looked after pupils by the Virtual School in Gloucestershire.
We are also currently working towards:
- Computing Quality Mark
- Healthy Schools
- Eco Schools