Personal Development

Providing Everything You Need To Know

Amanda Spielman, OFSTED’s Ex chief inspector, has said that these new criteria are designed to emphasise to headteachers that building resilience in young people is an integral part of education.

“It’s about making clear that education is not just about teaching a good set of academic subjects really well. There is something a bit intangible and bigger than that, and it is making sure they recognise that. It’s not about any one thing, it’s about having a range of opportunities so people can discover their talents and interests.”

We have ensured that pupils at INWS are exposed to a rigorous and research led model for Personal Development which is guided by organisations such as Jigsawand the PHSE Association.

What is studied?

It provides for learners’ broader development, enabling them to develop and discover their interests and talents

The curriculum and the school’s wider work support learners to develop their character – including their resilience, confidence and independence – and help them know how to keep physically and mentally healthy

At each stage of education, the school prepares learners for future success in their next steps

The school prepares learners for life in modern Britain by:

equipping them to be responsible, respectful, active citizens who contribute positively to society
developing their understanding of fundamental British values and appreciation of diversity
celebrating what we have in common and promoting respect for the different protected characteristics as defined in law.

Personal Development will enlighten students so that they behave with integrity and cooperate consistently well with others. Within Personal Development we want our students to develop so that they possess confidence, resilience and knowledge so that they can keep themselves mentally and physically healthy.

We will provide a curriculum that is broad and varied and accessible to all learners and which considers the individuality of our students and their context. We will achieve this through our dedication to embracing new ideas and ensuring that our curriculum and teaching styles are constantly developed and honed. We will seek to instil in students an expectation of achieving beyond expectations through the challenge built into lessons. We will ensure that we will share our love of Personal Development both within and beyond the classroom by having an open discussion about contextual factors affecting topics of study.

Through Personal Development, students will know that we can all thrive together and our students will gain thorough understanding that difference is a positive, not a negative, and that individual characteristics make people unique. INWS students will enjoy an inclusive environment and will strive to ensure that all members of the INWS community, irrespective of age, disability, gender, race, religion, belief, sex, sexual orientation or size feel welcomed and valued.

Personal Development will equip our students with the abilities to recognise online and offline risks to their well-being and make them aware of the support available to them. We develop our students’ readiness for the next phase of education, training or employment so that INWS students are equipped to make their transition successful. This will be due to our effective careers programme which will offer all INWS students unbiased careers advice, work experience and an understanding of what they need to do to reach and succeed in the careers to which they aspire.

Personal Development will provide opportunities for educational trips to explore different parts of our curriculum. Personal Development will embed our INWS values so that our students are proficient in displaying REACH as a matter of daily habit:

Ready

We are prepared to work hard to achieve our dreams

Respectful

We show respect for all other people and recognise our common humanity

Safe

We ensure all members of our community are treated equitably