Personal Development and Diversity Education

Rationale for our Personal Development Curriculum

At Wilby school every child is respected both as an individual and as a member of our whole school community.

We teach our pupils to recognise and challenge inequality and promote an ethos where all feel valued, supported and able to realise their fullest potential, now and in the future. We want to ensure that no one is left behind.

We believe that our Personal Development curriculum and the 'No Outsiders' ethos that we have adopted, will give pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy independent lives and to become respectful, active and responsible global citizens. Personal Development lies at the cornerstone of school ethos. We are preparing children for life in modern Britain; developing and deepening their understanding of fundamental British values of democracy, individual liberty, rule of law, and mutual respect and tolerance. We believe all our children can leave our schools confident and assured of their place in this diverse and changing world.

Definition

Each child at Wilby School is unique and individual, yet also belongs to a community. As they grow into citizens, children will engage with society; experience, live alongside and sometimes join different communities while retaining a sense of self. Personal Development is an umbrella term for the way in which we teach children be proud of who they are and know how they fit in the world in which they live.

The Curriculum

Following guidance from the PSHE Association, we teach Personal Development in three modules over the year: Relationships (Autumn Term), Health and well-being (Spring Term), Living in the wider world (Summer Term). At Wilby, we concentrate on each module for one term, providing eight lesson plans for each year group to teach during that time.

We have used the RSE Guidance for September 2020 (DfE 2019) and referenced the “By the end of primary school” objectives on page 20-22 for each lesson plan. Each plan supports one of the five areas of the guidance for primary schools: Families and people who care for me; Caring friendships; Respectful relationships; Online relationships; Being safe.

The Relationships module also includes a CSE (Child Sexual exploitation) lesson plan in every year group and a Domestic Violence lesson plan in Year 3 and year 6.

Sex and relationships lesson plans are taught in Y3 and Year 6 during the Living in the wider world module.

Planning for inclusive teaching across the curriculum and the school year:

We have adopted the 'No Outsiders' lesson plans developed by Andrew Moffat (https://no-outsiders.com) to ensure that our PSHE curriculum fully provides for the teaching of diversity and equality. The No Outsiders lessons are embedded into the curriculum to support each module and taught throughout the year. We also use weekly No Outsiders assembly pictures to reinforce the school-wide inclusive ethos. In addition to this we actively seek to promote opportunities for learning about diversity and equality across the curriculum. Plans for this can be found below.

Our objectives for PD education are as follows:

Develop skills and attitudes in our pupils that will enable them to participate fully and contribute positively whilst thriving in modern Britain.
“To put in place the building blocks needed for positive and safe relationships of all kinds.” (DfE Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education: FAQs)
Ensure that pupils understand Britain is a country rich in diversity and difference. Individual characteristics make people unique; everyone has differences, and everyone is welcome in our school.
Develop an inclusive environment with an understanding and appreciation of British values: democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faith or belief and those without faith.
Provide clear information to parents and carers about the Relationship Education curriculum and content in an accessible way so that they can support what their child is learning in school with their own teaching at home.
Ask for feedback on this Relationship Education policy from parents and carers before it is ratified by Governors and in the future when it is amended. We welcome constructive dialogue so that we reach a mutual understanding of the aims. We will provide opportunities for parents and carers to air their views about our curriculum and we will consider all views given.
Provide opportunities for parents and carers to join the school in the delivery of Relationship Education. This will be achieved through parent workshops where materials will be shared, and open lessons.
Enable pupils to reflect on their own experiences, considering how they are developing character, personally and socially. Teach co-operation skills where pupils behave with integrity, feeling confident about their emerging selves and how they can contribute to school and to society.
Enable children to reflect on their own mental health and consider how their actions affect the mental health of others.
Provide opportunities for pupils to explore attitudes and beliefs that are different to their own or those of their family.
Provide opportunities for pupils to consider the meaning and value of community and community cohesion in Britain today. To understand that communities are made up of people with diverse characteristics; for example, disabilities, ethnicities, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, faith, age. British communities are diverse, and difference is a positive not a negative.
Develop an understanding of the different families that exist in Britain today including families with same sex parents. The DfE guidance (September 2020) says, “Primary schools are strongly encouraged and enabled, when teaching about different families, to include families with same sex parents.”
Develop an understanding of stereotypes and the harm they can do. Ensure all children know they are welcome and included regardless of personality. The DfE guidance (September 2020) says when teaching about gender and biological sex, “You should not reinforce harmful stereotypes, for instance by suggesting that children might be a different gender based on their personality and interests or the clothes they prefer to wear.”
Provide access to age appropriate resources when teaching about gender and biological sex.
Ensure all students receive the support and respect they need as they move through the school and provide the skills to show empathy and support to peers if and when it is needed. The DfE guidance states, “Teachers should always seek to treat individual students with sympathy and support.”
Develop an understanding of the protected characteristics listed in the Equality Act 2010 and gain a historical perspective of how equality and freedoms have been won over time and should not be taken for granted.
Learn to understand, accept and respect a diverse community as something that generates benefits for all members. Develop an enthusiasm for diversity and difference in order to thrive as part of a vibrant and cohesive British society, therefore being resilient to potential radicalisation in later life.

By the end of primary school:

Families and people who care for me	Pupils should know: that families are important for children growing up because they can give love, security and stability. the characteristics of healthy family life, commitment to each other, including in times of difficulty, protection and care for children and other family members, the importance of spending time together and sharing each other’s lives. that others’ families, either in school or in the wider world, sometimes look different from their family, but that they should respect those differences and know that other children’s families are also characterised by love and care that stable, caring relationships, which may be of different types, are at the heart of happy families, and are important for children’s security as they grow up. that marriage represents a formal and legally recognised commitment of two people to each other which is intended to be lifelong. how to recognise if family relationships are making them feel unhappy or unsafe, and how to seek help or advice from others if needed.
Caring friendships	Pupils should know: how important friendships are in making us feel happy and secure, and how people choose and make friends. the characteristics of friendships, including mutual respect, truthfulness, trustworthiness, loyalty, kindness, generosity, trust, sharing interests and experiences and support with problems and difficulties. that healthy friendships are positive and welcoming towards others, and do not make others feel lonely or excluded. that most friendships have ups and downs, and that these can often be worked through so that the friendship is repaired or even strengthened, and that resorting to violence is never right. how to recognise who to trust and who not to trust, how to judge when a friendship is making them feel unhappy or uncomfortable, managing conflict, how to manage these situations and how to seek help or advice from others, if needed.
Respectful relationships	Pupils should know: the importance of respecting others, even when they are very different from them (for example, physically, in character, personality or backgrounds), or make different choices or have different preferences or beliefs. practical steps they can take in a range of different contexts to improve or support respectful relationships. the conventions of courtesy and manners. the importance of self-respect and how this links to their own happiness. that in school and in wider society they can expect to be treated with respect by others, and that in turn they should show due respect to others, including those in positions of authority. about different types of bullying (including cyberbullying), the impact of bullying, responsibilities of bystanders (primarily reporting bullying to an adult) and how to get help. what a stereotype is, and how stereotypes can be unfair, negative or destructive. the importance of permission-seeking and giving in relationships with friends, peers and adults.
Online relationships	Pupils should know: that people sometimes behave differently online, including by pretending to be someone they are not. that the same principles apply to online relationships as to face-to-face relationships, including the importance of respect for others online including when we are anonymous. the rules and principles for keeping safe online, how to recognise risks, harmful content and contact, and how to report them. how to critically consider their online friendships and sources of information including awareness of the risks associated with people they have never met. how information and data is shared and used online.
Being safe	Pupils should know: what sorts of boundaries are appropriate in friendships with peers and others (including in a digital context). about the concept of privacy and the implications of it for both children and adults; including that it is not always right to keep secrets if they relate to being safe. that each person’s body belongs to them, and the differences between appropriate and inappropriate or unsafe physical, and other, contact. how to respond safely and appropriately to adults they may encounter (in all contexts, including online) whom they do not know. how to recognise and report feelings of being unsafe or feeling bad about any adult. how to ask for advice or help for themselves or others, and to keep trying until they are heard. how to report concerns or abuse, and the vocabulary and confidence needed to do so where to get advice e.g. family, school and/or other sources