Personal Development at Leigh Academy Hugh Christie aims to provide students with knowledge, skills and understanding to prepare them to play a fulfilling and active part in society.
Through a holistic approach covering PSHRE, Citizenship, Religious Studies, Relationships and Sex education, students are empowered to reflect on their own beliefs and attitudes in a safe environment whilst also exploring both the complexities and opportunities they will experience now and in the future.
The Personal Development Programme at Leigh Academy Hugh Christie encompasses a holistic approach to:
- PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education)
- RSE (Relationships and Sex Education)
- Citizenship
- Fundamental British Values
All subject areas share the same common intent which has been designed to support students in their journey to become a well-rounded citizen prepared for life in modern contexts ranging from: local, regional, national and international. We aim to explicitly teach the values in our Learner Profile and provide opportunities in which students are able to reflect on their progress to see how far they have developed at each key stage.
In addition the curriculum has been well designed to support the following areas:
- Developing responsible, respectful, active citizens or who are able to become actively involved in life as an adult. This starts throughout the Healthy Minds programme in year 7, and is built upon through various stages in the spiralled curriculum.
- Deepens pupils’ understanding of the Fundamental British Values
- Promotes equality of all, ensuring equal opportunities and creating an environment where all pupils can thrive, regardless of race, religion, gender, belief, age, disability or sexual orientation.
- Develops the character of pupils, allowing opportunities to reflect on their own progress and conduct to help flourish in society.
- Provides the knowledge and understanding to make healthy choices, related to diet, eating and relationships.
- Supports pupils’ with the knowledge to understand what they need to do to reach and succeed in the career which they aspire.
Pupils’ spiritual development is seen throughout various phases of the PSHRE curriculum, as pupils gain knowledge and understanding of a variety of faiths and key beliefs. Pupils are given opportunities to reflect upon these beliefs and compare them to their own in a safe environment, developing an awareness of how beliefs impact on decisions and behaviours. Throughout the PSHRE learning experience and during form time activities pupils use imagination and creativity in their learning.
The moral development of pupils is also supported through an analysis of varying religious rules and the impacts this has on people’s lives. Within this topic, pupils also gain knowledge of possible conflicts between religious laws and the criminal and civil laws in The United Kingdom. Pupils learn how to make appropriate moral choices through a wide range of activities and topics across PSHRE lessons.
Celebrating diversity is commonplace within the Personal Development Programme, such as Black History Month, Gender History and LGBT+ History. All these events are celebrated in the academy.
Lessons will be varied in approach and delivery, including a mixture of discussion based learning, video clips and written tasks. Scenario based learning features heavily too, allowing pupils to apply knowledge learnt to situations that could occur during their own lives.
An overview of the sequence of learning and topics included for each stage of learning for Module 1 can be found on the academy website for PSHRE. We will ensure that all lessons, including those of sensitive or risky behaviours maintain a positive atmosphere through distancing and ensuring a factual approach is adhered to, avoiding shocking or distressing information. Scenario based learning will also assist pupils in developing skills for “real life” situations. We will support pupils in making links to their learning by adopting a spiralled approach and regularly using recap tasks to ensure the retention of knowledge and skills.
In addition, collaborative planning via a shared google drive to ensure all pupils receive the same learning experience. This is implemented through the planning of high quality lessons that are shared with other staff. In addition staff have regular access to professional development/training to ensure that curriculum requirements are met and subject knowledge developed either through the trust. In addition, curriculum resources are created carefully and reviewed by the PSHE Lead.
Our Personal Development curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. We will measure the impact of our curriculum in the following ways:
- Children demonstrate a positive attitude towards people and show an understanding of cultural beliefs different to their own.
- They demonstrate respectful behaviour to all and this is transferable outside of school in the wider community and beyond demonstrating their Learner Profile attributes.
- Images and videos of the children’s learning.
- Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice).
- Pupil’s books are reviewed and there is the opportunity for a dialogue between teachers to understand their class’s work.
- Marking of written work in books.
- Modular google forms quizzes with a particular focus on: knowledge recall and communication through answering a range of application questions.
- Lesson visits from the PSHE Lead and the Senior Leadership Team.
Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSE) forms an important part of the Personal Development Programme at Leigh Academy Hugh Christie. We intend to deliver a robust and exciting curriculum to help our students grow up in an increasingly complex world and live their lives seamlessly on and offline. This presents many positive and exciting opportunities for us all, but also challenges and risks. In this environment, our students need to know how to be safe and healthy, and how to manage their academic, personal and social lives in a positive way.
The RSE framework is delivered in PSHRE weekly lessons. Our RSE curriculum has been carefully produced and sequenced to take into account age appropriateness and provides students with the knowledge that will enable them to make educated decisions on aspects such as wellbeing, relationships, and how to navigate the online world safely. A key focus is to provide guidance on how to seek advice and support. This knowledge will allow our students to make informed decisions regarding any complex situation they may face. The curriculum is aligned with the Government’s Statutory guidance on Relationships and Sex Education (RSE).
Our provision enables all students to leave us with a sound understanding of risk and with the knowledge and skills necessary to make safe and informed decisions. We tackle relationships, health, sex, drug, and financial education not only through our robust tutor programme, but also through aspects of our curriculum. This enables our students to understand and live up to their responsibilities towards themselves, their families, communities, and society as a whole.
If parents would like more information about content covered in PSHRE lessons, please click here and complete the online form.
Leigh Academy Hugh Christie is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse learning environment that values and respects every individual. As part of our curriculum, we prioritise the teaching of protected characteristics, ensuring that our students understand and appreciate the importance of equality, diversity, and inclusion. Through engaging and thought-provoking lessons, we empower our students to recognize, celebrate, and respect differences in characteristics such as age, disability, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation, and more.
Our dedicated educators provide comprehensive education on these protected characteristics, equipping our students with the knowledge and skills necessary to become compassionate and respectful global citizens. At Leigh Academy Hugh Christie, we strive to nurture an environment where everyone feels valued, understood, and supported.
High-quality citizenship education helps to provide students with knowledge, skills and understanding to prepare them to play a full and active part in society. Within our curriculum the academy provides opportunities to:
- Foster students’ keen awareness and understanding of democracy, government and how laws are made and upheld;
- Equip students with the skills and knowledge to explore political and social issues critically, to weigh evidence, debate and make reasoned arguments; and
- Prepare students to take their place in society as responsible citizens, manage their money well and make sound financial decisions.
The citizenship framework is delivered across weekly PSHRE lessons and Advisory. Our aim is to provide students with the knowledge and understanding which will equip them with the tools needed to become active citizens. A key part of our citizenship curriculum also lies within the opportunities students have to volunteer and carry out responsible activities; our Student Leadership opportunities, the Duke of Edinburgh Award, and The Community Project are just a few of the initiatives we offer as part of our co-curricular enrichment programme. Our co-curricular enrichment programme enables students to pursue their talents, as well as make positive contributions to their local, national, and global communities.
Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) still forms an important part of our personal development provision here at the academy and is drawn from a wide variety of sources. Our provision enables all students to leave us with a sound understanding of risk and with the knowledge and skills necessary to make safe and informed decisions. We tackle relationships, health, sex, drug, and financial education not only through our robust Advisory programme, but also through weekly lessons. This enables our students to understand and live up to their responsibilities towards themselves, their families, communities, and society as a whole.
Our aim is to provide an engaging and inclusive Religious Studies curriculum that allows all students to reach their full potential, develop a love of learning and understand how important different religions are and how they impact the world today. It is more important than ever to understand the way the world is affected by different world views and world religions, and to engage in debate and conversations surrounding key topics and moral issues we face. Students gain the opportunity to learn why the world is the way it is today and become inquisitive, globally aware citizens.
Our delivery gives students:
- exposure to issues of diversity within and between religions and the ways in which religion and spirituality are expressed in various platforms;
- opportunities to expand and balance their evaluations of the impact religions can have on individuals, communities and societies, locally, nationally and globally;
- opportunities to understand the importance of dialogue between and among different religions and beliefs;
- opportunities to understand how religion and belief contribute to community cohesion, recognising the various perceptions people have regarding the roles of religion in the world.
Our Religious Education framework is delivered throughout weekly lessons and Advisory time. Students are encouraged to reflect on the differences between religions and why this belief has become integral to someone’s faith. Our curriculum is constantly reviewed to ensure that it meets the needs of our students and shapes them to be well-rounded individuals that are knowledgeable and able to analyse and think independently about the world around them.
Click here to view the Module 1 PSHRE content for all year groups