Personal Development

Personal Development at South Hylton Primary Academy 

1. Overview of Our Approach 

At South Hylton Primary Academy, we place a strong emphasis on personal development as a core part of our mission to nurture well-rounded, confident, and capable learners. We aim to prepare pupils for life beyond the classroom by developing their character, resilience, and understanding of the world around them. 

To this end, we dedicate half an hour daily to our ‘Character Curriculum’; have a clear planned school trips schedule: our ‘SHPA Passport’; have a rich choice of after school clubs and have a weekly emphasise on diversity and careers in our assemblies. 

2. Curriculum and Enrichment 

• Curriculum Integration: Personal development is embedded in our curriculum through PSHE (Personal, Social, Health Education), RSE (Relationships and Sex Education), and cross-curricular opportunities in subjects like English, History, and PE. We have a unique ‘Character Curriculum’ which is taught each day. Comprising of: RE; PSHE; Skills Builder; Oracy 21 and UNICEF’s Rights Respecting program. 

• Enrichment Activities:  

• Lunchtime and after-school clubs (e.g. sports, arts, STEM, and eco-clubs) that cater to a wide range of interests and abilities. Some recent examples of these are: Football; Football Frisbee; Curling; Kielder Observatory Astronomy club; Art Club; Skills Builder and multi-skills. 

• School trips and residential visits broaden pupils’ horizons and build cultural capital. We carefully map these out each year, linking them to the curriculum. We also provide parents and children with the SHPA Passport a range of activities and opportunities, which help build character (i.e. residential and camping trips) 

• Special events such as ‘Rainbow Day - proud to be me day’, Black History month, careers week, anti-bullying week, mental health day and other such events have become staples of our annual calendar. 

• Children from Yr2 up are given strong themes to produce short videos on for assemblies i.e. Anti-bullying week, different religious themes, fundamental British values etc. (these can all be found on our YouTube channel). 

3. Developing Character and Resilience 

• Values: Our school values can be found here: link. These values are linked ot everything we do and we have spent time embedding and codifying them across the school 

• Growth Mindset Culture: We encourage pupils to embrace challenges, learn from mistakes, and persist in the face of difficulties through targeted activities and staff modeling. Several of our value's emphasis this: Ambitious and Brave and we follow the Skills Builder curriculum which further emphasises resilience, positivity and a growth mindset. 

• Fundamental British Values: We dedicate time each week to discussing the fundamental British values and relating them to school and everyday life.   

• Leadership Opportunities: Pupil roles such as school council representatives, eco-leaders, playground buddies, and sports captains foster responsibility and leadership skills. We also cover ‘leadership’ and ‘teamwork’ skills as part of our Skills Builder curriculum.  

4. Promoting Well-being and Mental Health 

• Pastoral Support: We offer a nurturing environment with access to well-trained staff who support pupils’ emotional and mental health. This includes a dedicated Welfare Lead who can work with both parents and children and we have access to an NHS Mental Health Nurse twice a week, who can deliver bespoke programs to support children. 

• Mental Health Education: Pupils learn strategies for self-regulation, stress management, and emotional literacy through our character curriculum and commitment to Mental Health. We have earned several awards for our mental health commitment towards both staff and children including the Optimus award and the Sunderland Mental Health award.  

• Parental Engagement: Regular workshops and resources are provided to support families in promoting well-being at home. We run termly parental events and assemblies. We also offer regular ‘drop-in’ sessions in our community room covering everything from anti-bullying, SEND and mental health to simply just having access to a warm space in the winter. We also offer parental access to an on-sight foodbank in conjunction with Fare-Share and access to Christmas presents through local charities.  

5. Fostering Inclusivity and Respect 

• Diversity and Inclusion: We celebrate the richness of different cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds through our curriculum and events calendar, ensuring all pupils feel represented and valued. This is vitally important in a school with only 3% EAL. To support this, we have a diversity focus each week in assemblies – often led by the children and we have organised our reading spine to encourage reading about ourselves and others, through the ‘Mirrors and Windows’ concept. 

• Anti-bullying Culture: Clear policies, proactive monitoring, and restorative practices create a safe environment where pupils can thrive.  

• SEND Support: Tailored interventions and inclusive teaching strategies ensure all pupils, regardless of need, achieve their full potential.   

6. Preparing Pupils for Life in Modern Britain 

• British Values: Pupils learn about democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect through specific lessons, assemblies, and practical experiences such as school council elections and school rules tied closely into the FBV. Our ‘Golden Rules’ hve been designed to represent the FBV in school. 

• Community Engagement: Partnerships with local charities, care homes, and businesses help pupils understand and contribute to their community. We access local businesses to support in careers week and support families through our on-site foodbank and access to presents at Christmas through local charities. One of our main values is to do good in school, in our community and in the wider world. 

7. Evidence of Impact 

• We track progress and attainment of our PSHE curriculum carefully and use the Skills Builder tracking software to measure progress against their key skills. 

• Participation rates in enrichment activities are consistently high and carefully monitored to ensure that all demographics are accessing them. 

• Observations and assessments show improvements in resilience, teamwork, and social skills. 

• We have spent time clearly codifying our school values and visions so that all stakeholders are clear and can embody these values at all times.   

8. Continuous Improvement 

• Regular reviews of our personal development program through staff, pupil, and parent feedback ensure we remain responsive to the needs of our school community. 

• Ongoing staff training supports high-quality delivery and innovation in personal development initiatives.