Personal development
Overview
What is our vision for personal development?
At Harris Rainham Sith Form our Personal Development approach is encompassed within our character and co-curriculum which is designed to prepare students for adult life. It aligns with our school vision as it will enable our students to develop the knowledge and skills to flourish in an increasingly complex world and to access the best universities, apprenticeships and employment opportunities that exist. Below are the key aims for each area:
Character Curriculum:
- Active citizens
- Health and wellbeing
- Respectful relationships
Co-Curriculum:
- Embodying scholarship
- Academically curious
- Informed and competitive
These aspects to our curriculum which are rich in knowledge and experiences help ensure students become happy, safe, successful and respectful individuals who are unafraid to tackle injustice and can engage effectively in society. The knowledge acquired through the curriculum will ensure students are informed to make decisions and bold choices about their future destinations. They are able to safe, confident choices when faced with challenging situations in their lives or communities.
Our personal development curriculum has been inspired by the 7 habits of highly effective teens by Sean Covey. Sean Covey argues that exceptional young people tend to have seven habits in common. These are:
- The willingness to be proactive, or to tackle problems head on.
- The ability to begin with a preferred end result in mind.
- The ability to prioritize important tasks.
- The ability to believe everyone can win.
- The willingness to understand others before they seek to be understood.
- An eagerness to work with others to create better results.
- A continual thirst for self-improvement.
These habits have informed our approach which can be seen below:
How do we ensure our vision becomes a reality?
Our curriculum is implemented in many ways:
- PSHE/Citizenship sessions which take place during tutor time.
- Morning tutor sessions
- Personal development enrichment drop down days and activities
- A carefully planned and sequenced assembly map that directly links to our morning tutor curriculum
- Extra-curricular activities before and after school
- Careers curriculum, experiences and activities
- Reading programme that includes our reading canon
- A wider curriculum that includes essential experiences, trips, external speakers, student voice and whole school events or celebrations
- A co-curriculum that includes electives, guilds and societies.
- Academic and cultural enrichment including Harris scholars, Harris experience advanced and schemes such as the Sutton Trust pathways programme