Personal Development
We recognise that the curriculum extends beyond the classroom. We recognise that the curriculum is the entirety of learning opportunities offered to pupils both inside and outside the classroom.
We aim to provide our pupils with a broad range of opportunities to enable them to develop their individual talents and broader character. Pupils develop as active global students with the skills, abilities and attributes to contribute positively to their communities. We remove barriers to participation to ensure an equity of offer for all pupils.
Our curriculum offer seeks to promote a passion for Personal Development within all students. We have ensured that pupils at Hockley Primary School are exposed to a rigorous and research led model for Personal Development which is guided by organisations such as the PHSE Association and the Education Endowment Foundation.
Hockley Primary School pupils will be encouraged to partake in opportunities such as mighty oak public speaking, curriculum mastery challenge days at our local secondary school and a range of individual and team sporting events.
Pupil development is nurtured and will build year on year; capitalising on children's development straight from our Early Years foundation stage. It is our goal to promote and progress life skills in all our pupils, which will cultivate our Hockley Primary School vision, so that our pupils are thoroughly prepared for life in modern Britain. We aim to educate pupils who will be responsible, respectful and active citizens who are able to play their part and become actively involved in public life as they move on to secondary school and adult life.
We want our pupils to be alert to current affairs and be diligent in their appetite for ambition.
Personal Development will broaden our pupils' understanding of fundamental British values; respect for the rule of law, individual liberty, democracy, and mutual respect for and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.
Leaders are aware of the school locality and as a result ensure that curriculum choices including key authors, role models and inspirational figures are inclusive and diverse from a range of cultural backgrounds.
We achieve this by the careful and thorough planning of our curriculum choices including but not exclusive to: citizenship, RE and other areas such as personal, social, health and economic education, and relationships and sex education.
Weekly assemblies celebrate aspects of school life such as attendance, house points, and our 'Key Stage Campions'. The weekly champions are linked to the main drivers of our curriculum intent statement- ambition, creativity, compassion and community.
Throughout the year, assemblies are carefully timetable and planned to ensure that we celebrate and raise awareness for issues such as: show racism the red card, comic relief, children in need and many more. We also invite key speakers and enrichment events into school such as Power2inspire and the BMX academy to not only highlight the importance of growth mindsets but also to promote equality and inclusivity.
Pupils are actively involved in charity work throughout the year including fundraising events and promoting awareness. We support three charities each year- local, national and international.
Our pupil leadership flight path is an element of school life which we are particualy proud of. Pupils starting with us in Early Years and Key stage 1 have access to high quality speaking & listening, oracy and phonics. This then builds into pupils' participation in public speaking workshops in lower key stage 2. Pupils learn how to address an audience in a confident, articulate manner, using a range of public speaking tools.
Then, Key stage 2 pupils have the opportunity to step up in school leadership roles such as school ambassadors and house captains.
We also have wider school leadership opportunities for all pupils such as the school council, PALS (a peer-led playground leadership program), school journalists and ECO warrior team.
Leaders at Hockley Primary School are fully aware of the impact that early education can have on aspiration and future life.
Children have their first aspirations aged 3-4 years
By the age of 7 children are beginning to think about what they can and cannot do because of their gender.
Being more aware about higher education by age 10 means a child is over twice as likely to end up at a more competitive university than someone who was first exposed in their late teens.
Children make career limiting decisions by age 10, which they solidify by age 14.
The child of a parent working in a higher professional or managerial job is 20 times more likely to end up in a similarly high status role than a child with a working class parent is to end up in a professional job.
Increasing pupils' exposure to information, encounters, opportunities and experiences that will help them make more informed decisions about their futures and successfully support them into the next stage of their lives.
KS1 students are exposed to role play situations that expand their understanding of work and opportunities.
KS2 students are introduced and taught about a wider range of career opportunities. The personal and academic curriculum offer more opportunities to explore the skills, attitudes and characteristics valued the workplace.
We also host 'careers week' recognising, understanding and supporting individuals with their aspirations for life and create support for pathways to achieving this. Using the community to to enable understanding and support.
We strive to develop pupils’ understanding of how to keep physically healthy, eat healthily and maintain an active lifestyle. We provide opportunities for pupils to be active during the school day which includes activities such as the weekly mile and 'brain breaks' using online platforms. We have a vast range of extra-curricular activities which are built through the use of pupil and parent voice which include languages club, school orchestra, building clubs, arts and crafts, chess club, gardening club and a range of sporting opportunities.
Throughout the year, leaders plan for enriching opportunities for off-site visits not only to enhance our curriculum choices but to further nurture, develop and stretch pupils’ talents and interests.
