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Personal Development
At The Bulmershe School, Personal Development and Wellbeing is central to our vision of developing happy, self-confident and aspirational learners who leave school with the character, knowledge, skills and experiences required to flourish in modern Britain and beyond. We believe that education extends far beyond academic success and that every student is entitled to a rich and ambitious programme of personal development that prepares them for adult life, enables them to contribute positively to society and supports them to become confident, responsible and resilient citizens. Our approach is underpinned by our core values of Respect, Responsibility, Resilience and Safety, which shape our culture, curriculum and everyday interactions.
Our ambition is to sustain and further develop Personal Development and Wellbeing as an exceptional area of provision, ensuring that every student experiences a strong sense of belonging, develops positive character traits, accesses meaningful opportunities and is exceptionally well prepared for their next stage in education, employment and life.
We recognise that personal development is most effective when it is embedded throughout the curriculum, wider school culture and students' lived experiences. Personal Development at The Bulmershe School encompasses:
- Character Education.
- Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE).
- Citizenship Education.
- British Values.
- Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development (SMSC).
- Wellbeing and Mental Health.
- Personal Safety and Safeguarding.
- Careers Education and Future Readiness.
- Student Leadership and Service.
- Community Engagement and Social Action
Through a planned and progressive programme, students develop the knowledge and understanding required to build healthy relationships, maintain positive physical and mental wellbeing, understand their responsibilities as citizens, manage risk safely, contribute positively to their communities and make informed choices about their futures. This reflects the expectations of the National Curriculum for Citizenship, statutory RSHE guidance and the DfE Character Education Framework.
We are committed to promoting the fundamental British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. Alongside students' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, these values help prepare young people to become active, responsible and informed citizens.
We recognise that exceptional personal development is achieved through strong partnerships between students, families, staff, governors and the wider community. Therefore, we work closely with parents, carers, employers, universities, community organisations and external agencies to maximise opportunities, strengthen wellbeing and remove barriers to success.
Core guiding principles of our Personal Development Plan is based around embedding our four core values in our school ethos
- Responsibility
- Respect
- Resilience
- Health and Safety
Relationships and Sex Education
Relationships and Sex Education is part of our Personal Development Curriculum, rather than our Religious Studies Curriculum. Our RSE curriculum is developed in consultation with parents, carers, pupils and staff, and taking into account the age, developmental stage, needs and feelings of our pupils. Parents and carers have the right to withdraw their child from the [non-statutory/non-science] components of sex education within RSE up to and until 3 terms before the child turns 16. For more information, please consult our Relationships and Sex Education Policy.
Tutor Time
Tutor Time is the bedrock of our Personal Development [PD] programme, which is delivered by students' tutor. This is the person who should know each student the best to offer a personalised approach. Within the tutor programme there is time dedicated to Personal, Social Health Education [PSHE], Relationships and Sex Education [RSE], as well a school focus of developing literacy through "Drop Everything and Listen" [DEAL] audio books and comprehension mornings; reading world issues and completing literacy tasks within the PD booklets. We believe in the importance of the role of the tutor in helping develop character and preparing our students with the skills to be successful in modern Britain.
Personal Development Long Term Plan (includes details of PSHE, RSE, Citizenship, Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural [SMSC] development)
Tutor time consists of four areas covering: PD, DEAL, Reading World Issues and Assembly.
We have specialist sessions to cover topics more in depth through drop down events such as mindfulness, consent, substances and contraception.
Sixth Form Tutor Time
Personal Development [PD] and enrichment plays an important role within our sixth form curriculum. Year 12 students get three morning registration periods each week with some sessions dedicated to the delivery of Year 12 personal development. Year 13 students get one morning registration period each week, which is geared towards the delivery of Year 13 personal development.
Year 12 students complete independent Work Experience (WEX) during the last half term of the summer (from May Half Term onwards). Students are expected to complete a minimum of 5 days worth of WEX which is ideally geared towards their future ambitions. Students receive support with contacting external companies, but students are essentially responsible for securing their own WEX.
Year 13 students also get a fortnightly ‘destination’ session which is completely geared towards ensuring students are fully aware of the different options available to them post year 13.
SMSC/PSHE/RSE/Citizenship
The PSHE and RSE curriculum is taught as PD in the tutor time programme. We feel that form tutors are the people in school that know your children the best.
We follow the guidance and suggested Scheme of Work from the PSHE association.
There are key themes shown throughout the long term plan
- Mental and physical health
- Healthy relationships
- Citizenship
- Careers and Personal skills
SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social & Cultural) is embedded throughout the curriculum and pastoral care. SMSC development is seen every day via the Heads of Year and Tutors and weekly in assemblies.
Assemblies
Assembly rota is dynamic throughout the year and addresses both National and Community events alongside areas in relation to specific year group needs.
Assemblies are scheduled to include British Values, Citizenship, Careers, student voice feedback, National focused events and school values.
Careers
Please see our dedicated Careers pages for all the information and guidance we offer
Outdoor Education and Character Building
We believe in the importance of outdoor education throughout secondary schooling. We believe it builds characteristics such as resilience, leadership and respect and think that it also can help students to develop healthy mentally.
We offer whole school trips such as the Ski trip which runs every two years and is open to all year groups.
Year 7
School Bushcraft Themed Residential, where students have an immersive experience where students can get back to basics, learn survival skills and find the adventure in Nature!
Year 8
Opportunity to grow through adventure on Dorset's stunning Jurassic coast. The "Land and Wave" residential combines exciting outdoor activities, comfortable bell tent accommodation, freshly prepared meals and expert instruction to create an unforgettable experience outside the classroom. From coasteering and kayaking to bushcraft and team-building challenges, the trip is designed to develop confidence, resilience, communication, and teamwork while creating memories that last a lifetime.
Year 9
All Year 9 students take part in our Leadership & Challenge programme, through which half of them choose to undertake their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award for their L&C option.
Year 10
Those students who wish to continue on their Duke of Edinburgh journey, we offer the Silver Award as an extra-curricular option
Year 12
Those students who wish to continue on their Duke of Edinburgh journey, we offer the Silver or Gold Award as an extra-curricular option
All Years
Our Lead Mentors in SIGNAL run tailored programmes to help, support and advise students in all year groups. This includes specialised work with groups and individuals which help prepare them for life in modern Britain.
In addition, we support our students with special needs through life skills workshops delivered by our OASIS support team.
Student Voice
Run by the sixth form leadership team, our Student Council allows students to have their voice heard. Each tutor group has a representative who meets with their year group council each term. The sixth formers then collate their ideas and concerns and feedback to the school's Leadership Team. Once they have next steps and decisions from the LT, they then deliver this to all students during Year Group assemblies.
Read more about our Student Council
Extra Curricular Activities
We run an eclectic programme of extracurricular activities at lunchtime and after school, which are attended well by students. Some of our Sport, Music and Drama clubs are performing at the highest level including national representation.
Trips
Throughout the year there is a broad range of trips for every year group which are attended by a diverse student population. There are different types of trips such as Curriculum, Extracurricular, Rewards and Raising Aspirations.
We share write ups from our trips with families in our weekly newsletter.
In School Drop Down Events
Throughout the year we have a varied programme of "drop-down events" (where students come off timetable to attend) to cover specific PD content such as consent, alcohol and raising aspirations, often delivered by external groups and experts.
PD across the Curriculum
We believe PD should be delivered across the curriculum and that opportunities to teach PD topics must be taken within subjects. This is planned into Schemes of Work for every subject. Please view subject information pages to see the detailed long term plans for each key stage.
Mental Health Champions
Two members of staff are mental health champions who look at how we deliver mental health across the curriculum and within the personal development programme highlighting student wellbeing and the importance of mental health awareness via mental health week in May.
You can read more about our commitment to supporting Mental Health on our dedicated mental health pages.
Character development
The school works hard to support pupils to be confident, resilient and independent, and to develop strength of character.
Students develop their character in several ways including:
- Tour guides
- Peer mentors and Transition leaders
- Library volunteers
- Form representatives for the school council
- Student Council student leadership team
- Public speaking during whole school events.
- Leadership and challenge Option in Year 9
- Clubs and Extra-curricular opportunities
Cultural Capital
Student choices in later life are greatly improved with the greater Cultural Capital they are exposed to; therefore, part of the Personal Development program, is to ensure that all students are offered a range of enrichment activities. The activities are designed to develop a thirst for learning, a passion for the local and global environment, arts and cultures.
They will help develop students’ character by being ambitious, and challenging their resilience so they are equipped for life experiences once they leave us, such as further education and the world of work. These are some of the Cultural Capital opportunities
- Day and residential trips
- Co-curricular clubs including sports, cooking, science, drama and music
- Leadership and Challenge
- Duke of Edinburgh's Award
- Modern Foreign Languages
- Whole school Productions
- Careers Curriculum
British Values
As part of the Personal Development programme, The Bulmershe School is committed to developing young people to be respectful, responsible and purposeful citizens who understand their rights and responsibilities as a British citizen, community member and global consumers. They are taught about the key values through the curriculum areas and pastoral system:-
- Democracy
- Rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect
- Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs
These are some of the opportunities that celebrate British Values:
- Student Elections for form representatives, for the school council
- Assemblies
- PSHE
- LGBTQ+ (No labels)group.
- Whole School Cultural Day.