Personal Development

Personal Development at Whetley

We want to improve:

Pupils’ knowledge of (and their ability to articulate) British Values, other faiths and cultures, equality and diversity, what makes us unique (including protected characteristics at an age- appropriate level), and healthy lifestyles.

The opportunities and experiences pupils have for personal development.

Our aims:

At Whetley, we want all of our pupils to become the very best people they can be. We want them to:

  • become well-rounded, knowledgeable citizens who are as well prepared as possible for life ahead
  • recognise and celebrate their own uniqueness and that of others
  • be proud of who they are
  • confidently communicate their knowledge, views and dreams effectively.

Our personal development offer and personal, social and health education curriculum provide opportunities and learning to help our pupils achieve these ambitions. Our offer opens up a wide range of opportunities, experiences and activities that pupils can take part and achieve in, that will help them to gather opinions about, and make informed choices about, the world around them.

Our PD curriculum consists of:

PSHE curriculum.

Jigsaw is our preferred PSHE programme. The content is well sequenced and progressive from EY to Year 6. It is updated regularly to align with legislation and has numerous related resources. We have set out the expected knowledge in the same way as our Reading Enhanced Curriculum so that it is well understood and accessible. We will use knowledge organisers to help pupils connect to and remember what they have learned. For example:

Wider opportunities and experiences for pupils.

Progressive events and activities across 16 strands that help pupils become well-rounded, knowledgeable citizens who are as well prepared as possible for life ahead. This is what we are calling ‘Delta Stars’ and will provide:

  • Opportunities/experiences/activities are set out across 16 specific strands that relate to different areas of learning. strands that are related to the researched expectations in the Ofsted framework.
  • Academy leaders must ensure that pupils complete at least 6 personal development activities each year from different strands. We should make sure that pupils cover a broad range of activities across all 16 strands over each key stage. 

Whetley’s Pantry

We are so proud to be able to support and serve our local community on a weekly basis. We are recognised across Girlington as being a place that seeks to support, educate and improve the local area. One of the main ways we do this is through our Pantry. Students at Whetley worked alongside a local charity with the vision to support our community during a financially difficult time for many people. This lead to the development of the Whetley Pantry in which local families can visit school on a weekly basis and select different items that will help them have a more sustainable and balanced diet. The pantry is run by our staff and supported by local supermarkets and food banks. We are the first school in the Yorkshire region to have a Pantry on site. It is a real privilege to know that our school is supporting our families as well as our students and something we take immense pride in.

Whetley’s Venturists

Whetley is proud to work alongside The Venturists, who come into school and work with students and parents to broaden their horizons on a whole host of topics. Student have the chance to work on and develop different projects that help to serve the community. Below there is a few examples of the work we have completed.