Intent

At Meath Green Junior School we believe passionately that our innovative Personal Development curriculum and No Outsiders ethos 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 our 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.  We use the prompt ARE to remind the children that in our PD lessons we Accept, Respect and Empathise with others. 

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. 

Implementation

Following guidance from the PSHE Association, we teach Personal Development in three modules over the year: Relationships, Health and Well-Being and Living in the Wider World. At Meath Green Juniors, we concentrate on each module for one term, providing eight lesson plans for each year group to teach during that time. All lessons are taught by the class teacher and are age and stage appropriate. The plans are continuously reviewed and updated to ensure they are relevant. Most lessons are discussion based but a record of key concepts and learning are kept in class floor books. These enable an opportunity to revisit prior learning at various stages across the school year. Lessons are fun, engaging and promote respectful discussion. 

No Outsiders lessons are embedded into the curriculum to support each module and taught throughout the year. We also use weekly No Outsiders assemblies to reinforce the school-wide inclusive ethos. At the beginning of each school year we hold a No Outsiders week where children learn about British law and the Equality Act 2010.

Following extensive consultation with parents, we have created a bespoke set of sex and relationships lessons which are taught in each year group during the Health and Well-Being module in the second half of the spring term.

Impact

Every child at Meath Green Junior School will be a confident and considerate member of the community. They will be able to apply the school values in all aspects of their life and understand and uphold British law. Our children will know that we are all unique and individual and be comfortable when managing and articulating their emotions. They will be empowered to make safe and healthy choices, understanding the importance of both their physical and mental health.