Personal Development

Personal Development

 At Discovery Multi-Academy Trust, our curriculum, vision and values fully support the personal development of every pupil.  We acknowledge that the primary years are a fundamental time for children to develop their own identify and aspirations for the future.  Therefore, we strive to ensure opportunities are provided for pupils through the taught and wider curriculum for both academic and personal development. 

We understand the crucial role we play in preparing our pupils for their adult lives.

Our pupils are supported, nurtured and encouraged to develop attributes such as resilience, confidence and independence as well as an understanding of British Values in order to prepare children to be global citizens now and in their future roles within the community.      

Our personal development curriculum provides significant opportunities for pupils to develop their intrinsic motivation and to engage in the following key areas:

•        Trust Values (Inclusive, Excelling, Democratic, Collaborative)
•        British Values
•        PSHE
•        SMSC
•        Well-Being
•        Wider Curriculum

Trust Values

Our Trust vision is at the core of everything we do. 

We will ensure that all children are able to thrive through quality learning experiences, ensuring their readiness for the next stage in their learning.

To achieve our vision, we will:

• Encourage all our children and staff to excel and collaborate with one another, to ensure the best outcomes and progress for all.
• Develop joyful learning communities that work together to improve standards and outcomes for our children, as part of a wider community.
• Ensure that we remain committed to the following values that underpin the way we work:

We recognise all children as unique individuals and we help them to develop the Trust values (Democratic, Inclusive, Collaborative and Excelling) to equip them for their future role in society.  Our values are reinforced in our teaching and learning and support the personal, social and spiritual development of every pupil throughout the school.    

Democratic

• Provide a democratic place of learning in all our academies; one that embraces individuality, tolerance and an acceptance of each other;
• Celebrate the individuality and diversity of all our academies by encouraging our communities to share their views and debate;
• Develop parent involvement in learning, by providing guidance and support;
• Ensure that social, moral, spiritual and cultural teaching equips learners to be thoughtful, caring and active citizens;
• Ensure that all members of the community have a voice in our organisation to develop and enhance our Trust further.

Inclusive

• Ensure that all children reach their potential and attain as well, or better, as their peers nationally;
• Encourage children to embrace the challenge of learning and help them to become resilient to failure;
• Provide opportunities for all learners to thrive through extra-curricular activities;
• Help to create an environment where curious and interested learners are encouraged to seek out new information to deepen their understanding and learning;
• Develop an environment where children want to come to school and value their education;
• Ensure attendance is above 96%;
• Create a culture whereby we are intolerant of prejudice, where all learners are safe and feel safe, through appropriate management of risks
• For all groups of children to have the support and access to be able to achieve as well as, or better than, their peers;
• Provide rich, varied and imaginative learning experiences.

Excelling

• Maintain consistently high expectations and outcomes across our academies, amongst learners, parents and carers;
• Make efficient use of all resources available to us and thereby maximise the benefits for learners;
• Enhance the professional development opportunities of staff, with greater emphasis on Quality Assurance and support;
• Systematically check understanding and offer clearly directed and timely support, to develop confident, self-assured learners;
• Develop a culture of self-discipline to maintain excellent standards of behaviour;
• Carry out incisive evaluation of the impact of staff’s practice through rigorous performance management, monitoring and supervision.

Collaborative

• Work effectively with parents and carers, professionals and the wider community to promote health and well-being in order to create the right conditions for learners to thrive;
• Embrace and extend current teaching practice across the academies to ensure that this has a positive impact on our communities;
• Develop opportunities to provide wider life experiences, developing both skills and expertise that help children gain the employment and training that they aspire to;
• Work with external partners, including other schools, to widen the range of life skills available for our communities to develop;
• Improve social cohesion within our communities by strengthening our commitment to co-operative values, including respect, social justice, fairness, inclusion and democracy, and using these things to do things that help improve our communities;
• Ensure children are exceptionally well-prepared emotionally, socially and academically for the next stage in their education, and that the Trust creates links with other organisations to help achieve this.

British Values

Discovery Multi-Academy Trust actively promotes the fundamental British values of:

•        democracy
•        the rule of law
•        individual liberty
•        mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

This is achieved through the effective spiritual, moral and cultural development of our children, as part of a broad and balanced curriculum and extra-curricular activities, through our links with both the local community and the wider world.  In promoting our children’s Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development (SMSC), we demonstrate our commitment to actively promoting fundamental British Values in ways which are appropriate to our children’s age and ability. 

We will enable our children to understand that while different people may hold different views about what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, all people living in England are subject to its law.  The ethos and teaching of our school, which we will make parents aware of, will support the rule of English civil and criminal law and we will not teach anything that undermines it.  In our teaching about religious law, we will take particular care to explore the relationship between state and religious law.  Our children will be made aware of the difference between the law of our land and religious law. 

We aim to widen our pupils’ knowledge and experience of what is relevant today to support them in making informed choices.  In PSHE, RE and other areas of the curriculum pupils take part in discussions and debates.  E-safety lessons also promote the importance of children making informed choices about how to keep themselves safe. 

PSHE

The purpose of teaching PSHE is to enable children to become healthy, happy, independent and responsible members of society.  It is important not just to help children develop academically but as people.  School has a huge role to play in this.  PSHE aims to help children understand and explore how they are developing personally and socially.  It tackles many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up.

We ensure that our PSHE curriculum provides an age appropriate understanding of relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education, as set out in the statutory guidance.  This enables all children to be safe and to understand and develop healthy relationships both now and, in their future lives. 

The aims of Personal, Social & Health Education at Discovery Multi-Academy Trust are:   

•        To develop the knowledge, skills and attributes our pupils need to manage their lives, now and in the future.  These skills and attributes help pupils to stay healthy, safe and prepare them for life and work in modern Britain.  When taught well, PSHE education helps pupils to achieve their academic potential, and leave school equipped with skills which they will need throughout later life. 
•        To build a PSHE curriculum which develops learning and results in the acquisition of knowledge and skills which enables children to access the wider curriculum, and to prepare children to be global citizens now and in their future roles within the global community.
•        To design a curriulum with appropriate subject knowledge, skills and understanding to fulfill the new PSHE strands: health and wellbeing, relationships and living in the wider world. 
•        To provide children with accurate and relevant knowledge of PSHE.
•        To provide children with opportunities to create personal understanding.
•        To provide children with opportunities to explore and challenge a range of values, attitudes, beliefs, rights and responsibilities.  Children will develop a range of skills and strategies to live a healthy, safe, fulfilling, responsible and balanced life. 

The Trust uses the PSHE Association Question-Based model to support teaching and learning.  PSHE themes are mapped onto long terms plans for each year group from EYFS – to Year 6 and lessons may be taught weekly, or blocked into a series of lessons.  EYFS, PSHE also forms part of the Early Learning Goals learning and a more integrated approach to teaching this subject also occurs daily in the EYFS.  Individual learning for PSHE is recorded in books, where appropriate, and whole class work may be recorded and shared in a class PSHE book e.g. whole class mind-mapping/annotations from discussions.  Other evidence of curriculum learning for PSHE (and SMSC) is recorded in whole school/year group/class portfolios e.g. visitor experiences, trips, charity work/events.          

SMSC

At Discovery Multi-Academy Trust we aim to provide a safe, caring and happy environment where there is an opportunity to grow spiritually, morally, socially and culturally.  We therefore aim to provide an education that provides learners with opportunities to explore and develop their own values and beliefs, spiritual awareness, high standards of personal behaviour, a positive and caring attitude towards other people, an understanding of their social and cultural traditions and an appreciation of the diversity and richness of the cultures, particularly British culture.

All learners spiritual, moral, social and cultural values will be respected, and those whose values may be different from the majority will always be shown great sensitivity. 

The Trust aims to create an ethos which fosters the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all children.  SMSC is developed through:

• promoting SMSC across the curriculum, so that all students benefit from high quality teaching and learning which motivates challenges and empowers them
• the whole curriculum, including PSHE
• promoting British Values across assemblies
• extra-curricular activities
• opportunities for ‘pupil voice’ and student leadership
• developing a sense of integrity, compassion and tolerance throughout the community which values self-esteem alongside respect for others
• enhancing opportunities through partnerships between parents, students, staff, the local community, industry and commerce for students to explore the wider world, demonstrating that we are a Mentally Healthy Organisation (TISUK)

The Trust is committed to offering children the opportunities to:

• identify, reflect on and explore experiences and distinguish between right and wrong
• discuss moral issues and develop and talk about their own attitudes and values.
• take responsibility for their own decisions.
• develop an understanding of social responsibilities and citizenship.
• celebrate a diversity of cultures.

Well-Being

As a Trust we are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our pupils, families and staff.  We have a supportive and caring ethos and our approach is to be Ready, Respectful and Safe.  ‘Trauma-sensitive school environments benefit all children’ (HTCL). 

Our Trust is recognised as a Mentally Healthy Organisation (TISUK) and strives to ensure that all children regardless of internal and external precipitation factors can and will achieve in our settings.  Staff are dedicated to maintaining ‘Consistent Calm Adult Behaviour’ at all times (Safety Intervention CPI).  When staff are aware of these precipitating factors they can tailor approaches to promote good emotional well-being.  We know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable at times and that anyone may need additional emotional support.  We take the view that positive mental health is everybody’s business and that we all have a role to play. 

Our schools work hard to be ‘supportive, predictable and safe environments’ (HTCL).  Therefore, ensuring ‘that all children will be able to achieve at their highest levels despite whatever traumatic circumstances they may have endured’ (HTCL). 

All staff will regulate their verbal, non-verbal and para-verbal communication to ensure that they are communicating respect and being non-threatening whilst remembering their supportive stance at all times including adult to adult, peer to peer and adult to child interactions (Positive, Posture and Proximity - Safety Intervention CPI),           

Empathetic listening is key to trauma informed school approach and we endeavour to ensure that all staff are trained in this.  All children have been impacted in some way by the COVID 19- crisis.  It is important that all pupils are being monitored and staff are mindful of their well-being.  Steps for seeking support have been shared with staff.

Wider-Community

At Discovery Multi-Academy Trust, we believe in extending our pupils’ education beyond the classroom.  The wider school curriculum are opportunities which we provide in, or out, of school that enhance the taught curriculum. 

Below are some of the ways in which we develop and enrich the lives of our pupils:

•        Supporting charities
•        After-school clubs
•        Outdoor Learning
•        Visitors & Speakers
•        Opportunities to perform
•        Curriculum enrichment weeks/days
•        Links with the community
•        Residential visits  

Supporting Charities

The pupils and staff at Discovery Multi-Academy Trust, organise several activities throughout the year to raise funds for a variety of local, national and international charities, including the following:

-       Ukraine Crisis

-       Children in Need

-       Red Nose Day

-       Poppy Appeal

After-school Clubs

We offer a wide-range of after school clubs across our Trust to support pupils’ wider interests and passions.  These can include sporting activities, arts & crafts, school choirs and music.    

Outdoor Learning

We aim to embrace outdoor learning as a method of offering a greater range of quality learning experiences and opportunities. These opportunities will improve and promote knowledge of the environment and sustainability; provide a rich curriculum; help children to develop life skills and promote mental health and wellbeing across the schools in the Trust. 

Outdoor learning opportunities within Discovery MAT academies include:

-       Forest School activities

-       Junior Ten Tors (JTT)

-       Local area visits

-       Nethercott Farm

-       City residential trip

-       Go Kart racing

-       RHS gardening scheme

-       Woodland Trust

-       Green Tree School award

Visitors & Speakers

Each of the schools, within the Trust, encourage a range of visitors and speakers to support and inspire pupils’ interests in a variety of subjects.  Speakers enable pupils to make connections between what they learn in the classroom to the real world.  

Having guest speakers is not only a great way for students to learn, but introduces students to different ideas, opinions and cultures.  It also provides career options and creates great networking and community connection opportunities. 

Guest speakers may be invited from a variety of sources including faith and charity speakers, professional sports people, authors, local librarians and work professionals.     

Opportunities to Perform

Pupils are given a number of opportunities to perform to variety of audiences, including their peers, parents/carers and wider community.  These include the following:

-       Learning within the classroom (e.g. reading aloud, performance poetry, dance/gymnastic routines, music recitals etc.)

-       Class assemblies

-       Nativity play in EYFS

-       Leavers Performances at Year 6.      

-       Wider community performances e.g. carol concerts

Curriculum Enrichment Weeks/Days  

Throughout the year there are opportunities across the Trust for enrichment weeks to the curriculum, these include PSHE events, Anti-Bullying Week, Earth Science Week, National Architect Day, Mentally Healthy Day, IT Week, Safety Week, Diversity Day, Careers Week, British Science Week, National Poetry Week, Sports Week and STEM Week. 

Links with the Community

Community links are made wherever possible, and include local businesses, libraries, local university and college links, sporting events and links with other schools and Trusts.     

Residential Visits 

Within the Trust, there are three key opportunities for residential visits.  These include a visit to Nethercott Farm, in North Devon (Farms for City schools) in Year 4.  An outdoor activity residential in Year 5, which has previously been based at a PGL site or camping in Devon.  Then finally in Year 6 pupils are offered the opportunity to visit a UK city.  This is often London, but has included Bristol in the past.