Personal Development at Riverside School
Personal Development is: "the development of an individual's skills, competence, attributes, and personality through education, training, and other activities" (Oxford Dictionary, 2024)
Here at Riverside School, we aim to securely equip all of our students for life beyond school as successful, confident, responsible and respectful citizens. We believe that education provides the key to social mobility and our curriculum is designed to build strong foundations in the knowledge, understanding and skills which lead to academic and personal success. We want our students to enjoy the challenges that learning offers.
Our aims are underpinned by a culture of high aspirations. Through developing positive relationships, we work towards every individual having a strong belief in their own abilities so that they work hard, build resilience and achieve their very best.
This is our personal development (PD) curriculum and is underpinned and threaded through both lesson time and life beyond the classroom both within and outside of school. It is preparing our children for their lives in society as well rounded future citizens.
Our PD curriculum is delivered through aspects such as:
Learning about British Values
Learning about social, moral, spiritual, cultural (SMSC) development in society
PSED curriculum
Assemblies
School Council, Yr6 buddies, School Reading champions
Trips, residentials and visitors into school for children from F2 to Yr6
Extra-curricular activities, not just sports clubs. (Art + Craft, Perform Dance + Drama, Culture and Languages, Lego, Chill Club).
British Values
At Riverside Primary School, we develop and promote British Values throughout our school and within our curriculum.
The DfE have reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”
The fundamental British values are:
- democracy;
- the rule of law;
- individual liberty; and
- mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith.
Democracy
In EYFS, we will encourage children to see their role in the bigger picture, encouraging children to know their views count, value each other’s views and values and talk about their feelings.
Across school children have many opportunities for their voices to be heard. We have a School Council which meets regularly to discuss issues raised in school. The members for each class are voted in by their class following children sharing a manifesto.
The Rule of Law
In EYFS, Staff will ensure that children understand their own and others’ behaviour and its consequences, and learn to distinguish right from wrong.
Across school, the importance of Laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies.
Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the local PCSO and Fire Service help reinforce this message.
In UKS2 this has also been explored further through learning about The Houses of Parliament in London and virtual legal education workshops with Streetlaw.
In EYFS, children will develop a positive sense of themselves. There will be opportunities for children to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and increase their confidence in their own abilities.
Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons.
Children can also participate in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices.
Mutual Respect
In EYFS, Children will acquire a tolerance and appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures; know about similarities and differences between themselves and others and among families, faiths, communities, cultures and traditions and share and discuss practices, celebrations and experiences.
Across school, within lessons, learning is personalised according to our children’s needs and abilities. They understand they may have to take appropriate risk and build up resilience. Individual success is acknowledged in our weekly celebration assemblies.
Through E-Safety, RE and PSHE (Jigsaw lessons), we educate children on their rights and personal freedoms as well as supporting them in recognising how to exercise these freedoms safely. They are encouraged to respect the choices made by others.
