Personal Development at Forest and Sandridge

Our intent is for all members of our school community and particularly our pupils to flourish whilst at our school. Our school community is focused on living by and embodying our 4 core values: Respect, Compassion, Courage and Humility. These values thread through all aspects of Forest and Sandridge School life and apply in equal measure to staff, pupils, parents, our PTA and governors. They embody our attitude and intentions towards the importance of the development of all aspects of school life and contribute to all members of our school community developing to be the best versions of themselves and achieving to be the very best that they can be. We value our personal development curriculum as equally as we do our academic curriculum and we have built our personal development curriculum to provide opportunities for all of our children to achieve this intent. Our personal development curriculum is interwoven into our every day, through carefully considered enrichment opportunities which compliments and extends the academic curriculum. These can be dynamic but there are fundamentals which do not change. Our curriculum (including personal development curriculum) was built through consultation with all stakeholders, encompassing all aspects from these values on top of which everything else stands, right through to the individual experiences we’d like our children to experience. 

Updated: 21/02/2025 85 KB
Updated: 21/02/2025 45 KB

Through our Personal Development curriculum, our children learn about:

  • Fundamental British Values
  • Protected characteristics
  • Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE)
  • Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)
  • Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural development (SMSC)

Children build good character and develop a strong moral compass with the support of fair, consistent and just behaviour systems carefully created to link to our core values, including rewards, to encourage choices that replicate these we expect of good global citizens. As a Thrive school, children have the opportunity to become more self-aware and independent in their behaviour choices and learn specific strategies to support self-regulation. We emphasise restorative justice as a means of building empathy and understanding. 

We are determined to offer all pupils, with a particular focus those who we define as disadvantaged (including but not confined to children who are: Pupil Premium, SEND, have safeguarding concerns; English as an Additional Language; children whose parents are in the Forces; highly mobile), a wide range and depth of personal development opportunities and experiences to build the cultural capital and strong personal values and morals that form the basis to enable them to achieve to and beyond their potential and push the boundaries of the possible.

Implementation

Worship

Children learn about a wide variety of topics through a well-considered and carefully structured weekly worship plan. These cover: the school values and specific people who have embodied these; SMSC; British Values and protected characteristics and key religious and cultural events from around the world. These planned Worships are delivered by the leadership team on Mondays and visitors and our children on Tuesdays. Our choir leaders deliver hymn practice on a Wednesday. On Thursdays, class teachers deliver class worship based on a specific value or theme tailored for their class or phase of school. The leadership team delivers a celebration worship on Fridays where children from across the school receive: Values Star, WOW Award, Hot Chocolate Friday, Curriculum awards and celebrate out of school achievements as well as events where children have represented the school in some form. This worship is heavily attended with around 60 parents attending weekly.

The Forest Fundamentals

The essential opportunities our children have to enrich their education are:

  • To go to the seaside - we believe every child should experience sand in their toes and fresh sea air. We take all of our children in EYFS to the beach to build a sandcastle, enjoy an ice cream and experience the fresh air of the seaside.
  • To visit places of worship - we believe children need to understand what life is like for modern day Christians. Children will visit our local church at least once every year and hold a special service.
  • To perform on a stage - The benefits to performing on a stage to a live audience are profound. It allows children to flourish outside of the academic and nurture their wide-ranging talents. Every child has the opportunity to perform on a stage at least once per year: EYFS- Nativity; Year 1 – Nativity Production; Year 2 – Nativity and Bath Forum Dance Festival; 3- Harvest; Year 4-Harvest; Year 5- Young Voices; Year 6- Bath Forum Dance Festival and End of Year Production
  • To go to the theatre - When we consulted stakeholders and particularly our PTA, Trust Leaders and Governors about the experiences they wanted our children to have, the inspiration of the theatre came through strongly in all stakeholder groups. The inspiration and impact of these experiences is immeasurable. Pupils will get this opportunity through the support of the PTA in Reception with an experience at the Egg Theatre in Bath and Year 6, meaning the children will have been to the theatre twice by the time they leave us. 
  • To go on a residential trip - The independence and resilience children gain from being away from home and in situations outside of their comfort zone are key elements to building strong character. The opportunities to go to Wye Valley in Year 4 with a specific programme of activities based on teamwork, team building and working together and Black Rock in Year 6 with a programme of activities based on outdoor and adventurous activities.
  • To represent the school in a sporting or arts event - We want our children to feel proud of their school and their achievements beyond the academic. We actively seek opportunities to represent the school in a wide range of sporting activities as well as the arts, such as Young Voices and West Wilts Dance Festival. The children who represent the school are always celebrated in our worships with the hope to inspire other children to represent the school, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
  • To go to a museum - we believe visiting museums is crucial for children as it fosters curiosity, enhances learning, and broadens their understanding of the world. Museums provide interactive and engaging exhibits that make education fun and memorable, encouraging a love for lifelong learning. In Year 2 children visit the Steam Museum, in year 3 children visit the local Devizes Museum and in Year 4 children visit the interactive We the Curious Museum. We are keen to expose our children to diverse cultures, histories, and artistic expressions, promoting cultural awareness and empathy.
  • To go to London - we believe every child should visit England’s capital city. In Year 5 children will visit the Tower of London which holds some of our most gruesome history. We ensure children see key landmarks around London and recognise the history and cultural significance it holds for us as a country.
  • To visit a castle - we believe every child should visit a castle. Castles are an important landmark for children as it immerses them in history and stimulates their imagination. We are keen for our children to visit an ancient fortress and learn about knights, royalty, and medieval life can make history tangible and exciting. Castle visits enhance understanding of historical events and architectural styles, fostering a deeper appreciation for heritage and culture.
  • To splash in muddle puddles - we want every child to experience welly walks in the rain and have the freedom to get a bit mucky!

British Values

British values are displayed in every classroom as well as a big display in the main corridor of the school. Children learn about values for Britain in a variety of ways, through the PSHE curriculum, worships, school opportunities and Fundamentals at Forest. 

Children learn about democracy through history in many themes as well as other types of governments. Where possible, we bring in our local MP for democracy workshops to supplement their learning of the history of democracy and bring this back to being relevant to our children in our society today. At the beginning of the year the children vote for pupil leadership roles including student council using a democratic process.

Children learn to be tolerant of other cultures by celebrating everyone’s differences. This happens through the RE curriculum, where children gain a strong understanding of the major world religions and through our PSHE curriculum Term 2 focus of ‘Celebrating Differences’. Worships regularly recognise other key dates for other world religious and cultural events in the calendar. These are supplemented by being delivered by religious leaders where possible. As a church school we actively teach and respect the views of others and worships a values based and participation in practice such as prayer is invitational.

Through the history curriculum and PSHE, children learn about the rule of law both in the UK, around the world and through history all around the world. This begins in Early Years through visits from emergency services and continues through school. They reflect on laws in Crime and Punishment and through the Mini Police programme in Year 5. This is all underpinned by our behaviour policy. 

Individual liberty is learned and celebrated in a number of ways. Children learn about protected characteristics, which is clearly mapped through the PSHE and RSE curriculum. Worships have also focussed on protected characteristics and have been pitched at an age-appropriate way.

Respect is a theme that runs completely through our school due to it being of our core values. Children are shown which values they are learning about or through in the foundation curriculum so are aware when respect is a focus value. Children are given activities across the curriculum that promote respect such as debating and providing feedback to peers. Children learn to respect differences and how respect themselves and each other through forming healthy relationships.

PSHE and RSE

PSHE and RSE is taught through our Jigsaw curriculum, as well as through discreet lessons to ensure our children have the knowledge they need to keep safe. Our curriculum is designed in a carefully sequenced and progressive way to enable children to learn about: Physical, emotional and mental health; Healthy lifestyles; Hygiene; Nutrition and food; Aspirations; Changing and growing; Emotions; Protected Characteristics; Keeping Safe; First Aid; Similarities and differences; Online safety; Healthy relationships; Discrimination; Communication; Collaboration; Bullying; Fairness; Family and friends; Rules and responsibilities; Communities; Money and finance; Enterprise and Diversity.

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development (SMSC)

Through holistic opportunities within our curriculum, worship schedule and church school distinctiveness strategy children will develop their:

Spiritual understanding by:

  • Being reflective about their own beliefs (religious or otherwise) and perspective of life
  • Obtain a knowledge, and respect, of different people's faiths, feelings and values
  • Enjoy learning about themselves and others
  • Use imagination and creativity in their learning
  • Be reflective on their experiences

Moral understanding by:

  • Ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong and to readily apply this understanding in their own lives, and to recognise legal boundaries and, in doing so, respect the civil and criminal law of England
  • Understanding of the consequences of their behaviour and actions
  • Interest in investigating and offering reasoned views about moral and ethical issues and ability to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues

Social understanding by:

  • Use of a range of social skills in different contexts - for example, working and socialising with other pupils of different ages and backgrounds
  • Willingness to participate in a variety of communities and social settings, including by volunteering, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively
  • Acceptance of and engagement with the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. They will develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain

Cultural understanding by:

  • Understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and that of others
  • Understanding and appreciation of the range of different cultures in the school and further afield as an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain
  • Ability to recognise, and value, the things we share in common across cultural, religious, ethnic and socio-economic communities
  • Knowledge of Britain's democratic parliamentary system and its central role in shaping our history and values, and in continuing to develop Britain
  • Willingness to participate in and respond positively to artistic, musical, sporting and cultural opportunities
  • Interest in exploring, improving understanding of and showing respect for different faiths and cultural diversity and the extent to which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity. This is shown by their respect and attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities

Enrichment - Please see Personal Development Overview

Whilst these are not exhaustive and further enrichment days will be happening dynamically throughout the year, these are the planned trips, visitors and enrichment opportunities that occur year on year for all pupils. These do not include whole school days such as World Book Day, Comic Relief, Red Nose Day, Children’s Mental Health Week, Anti-Bullying Week etc.

Wider Opportunities

At Forest and Sandridge Primary School we try to be as inclusive as possible with regards to wider opportunities. A culture of positive action for children from disadvantaged backgrounds is deployed when choosing children to represent the school; pupil leadership opportunities; access to extra-curricular clubs and Able, Gifted and Talented opportunities.

We have constructed systems to include all children in enriching opportunities as a way to try to close the cultural capital gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged children.

Extra-Curricular Clubs

We are lucky to provide a wide range of extra-curricular activities, from football, curling, coding, choir and dance to name a few. These are dynamic and change according to the needs and wants of the children. A register is kept to ensure that there is positive action with disadvantaged children and every effort is made to remove the barriers to all children (but specifically disadvantaged children) from attending extra curriculum clubs.

Pupil Leadership

A range of opportunities for pupil leadership and for pupil voice to be heard are created on purpose to enable pupils’ voice to be heard. These range from our structured leadership opportunities such as School Council, House Captains and Vice Captains, Sports Leaders, Eco Warriors, Wellness Warriors, Buddies and Value Ambassadors to individual, ad hoc opportunities such as specific assemblies on issues that affect the children personally, such as Deafness, or setting up support for vulnerable and elderly people to join us in school celebrations

These roles enable children to lead in supporting the school vision and ethos by taking part in roles at parents open mornings, sports days and lunch time and playtime. This gives children opportunities to be excellent role models for example by sharing reading and playtime games with their buddies or showing prospective parents around our school.