Personal Development

Lift Maltings: Personal Development - Overview 

At Lift Maltings, Personal Development (PD) is a core part of our curriculum, delivered through various structured and engaging methods across all key stages, with a clear focus on Intent, Implementation, and Impact.  

Intent: What we aim to achieve

The intent of Personal Development at Lift Maltings is to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and understanding necessary to thrive as confident, resilient, and responsible citizens in a diverse and ever-changing world. Our curriculum is designed to:

• Provide a sound understanding of their role as a citizen: both now and in the future, fostering a strong sense of community and responsibility.

• Encourage consideration of wider societal and personal issues: enabling students to navigate complex topics and develop empathy.

• Develop critical thinking skills: empowering students to make safe and informed decisions throughout their lives.

• Promote an inclusive environment: fostering an understanding and strong sense of pride in who they are, recognising and celebrating the diversity within the Lift Maltings family and the wider community.

• Align with PSHE Education Guidance: committing to developing students’ awareness in key areas including:

  • Mental Health & Wellbeing

  • Relationships

  • The World We Live In

• Embed and reinforce Protected Characteristics (Equality Act 2010): ensuring students understand and respect the nine protected characteristics:

  • Age

  • Disability

  • Gender reassignment

  • Marriage and civil partnership

  • Pregnancy and maternity

  • Race

  • Religion or belief

  • Sex

  • Sexual orientation

• Underpin learning with Fundamental British Values: promoting Democracy, Rule of Law, Respect and Tolerance, and Individual Liberty in all discussions and aspects of the curriculum.

• Develop resilience, confidence, and independence: supporting students to become well-organised, articulate young adults.

  • Foster a safe learning environment: where pupils feel empowered to share feelings, explore values, express opinions, and consider those of others without fear of negative feedback.

Implementation: How we deliver our aims

Our Personal Development curriculum is coherently planned and frequently reviewed, with a multi-faceted approach to delivery across all key stages:

Core Personal Development Provision

• Key Stage 3 (KS3) and Key Stage 4 (KS4): Students receive a dedicated 1-hour timetabled PD lesson per week.

Holistic Development Initiatives

• Assemblies: A comprehensive rota of assemblies is specifically designed for each year group, addressing relevant themes and topics.

• Whole Academy Events: We actively participate in and organize events such as Mental Health Awareness Week, Black History Month, Diversity Week, and National Careers Week. We also cover vital personal safety topics like road awareness and community anti-social behaviour.

• "Living in the Wider World" (Tutor Time): Form Tutors lead weekly discussions on topical stories and issues. This initiative engages students with current news, fostering critical thinking and a deeper understanding of personal development fundamentals.

• Focused Year Group Assemblies: These assemblies delve into specific PSHE topics, contextualising lesson-based learning to make it accessible, relatable, and current affairs-based. This encourages students to broaden their understanding of the world, debate differing views, and respect others' perspectives.

• Staff Training and Support: All staff members who deliver Personal Development receive ongoing support and training through meetings and one-to-one mentoring, ensuring high-quality and consistent delivery.

• Making links across curriculum into PE (healthy living) Science (RSE) computer science (online safety) Business (finance and money) Religious studies, Maths (key numeracy skills), Media (impacts of mass media), English (oracy skills and key literacy) including the ability to formalise articulate discussions and debates.

• Enrichment Opportunities: A broad range of enrichment opportunities are offered.

Creating a Safe Learning Environment

We actively foster a safe learning environment by:

• Working with pupils to establish ground rules for respectful discussion.

• Providing opportunities for pupils to discuss issues in small groups as well as sharing views with the whole class.

• Providing access to balanced information and differing views to help pupils clarify their own opinions, while making it clear that behaviors such as racism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, discrimination, and bullying are never acceptable in any form.

• Being sensitive to the needs and experiences of individuals, recognizing that some pupils may have direct experience of certain issues.

• Always working within the school’s policies on safeguarding and confidentiality, ensuring pupils understand school policies on disclosure of confidential information and following up concerns in appropriate settings.

• Linking PSHE education into the whole-school approach to supporting pupil wellbeing.

• Making pupils aware of reliable sources of support both inside and outside the school.

Impact: How we measure success

The impact of our Personal Development curriculum is evidenced through the development of informed and knowledgeable young people who are clear about their place in the modern world. We aim for students to:

• Demonstrate a strong understanding of safeguarding and healthy lifestyles.

• Exhibit acceptance of and engagement with British values and Religious Education.

• Possess broader cultural understanding and appreciation for diversity.

• Show increased resilience, confidence, and independence.

• Become well-organised, articulate young adults who can effectively debate and explore current affairs to support their own thinking and development.

• Make safe and informed decisions, reflecting their developed critical thinking skills.

• Show a strong sense of pride in their identity and respect for the diversity within the Lift Maltings family and wider community, demonstrating the successful embedding of protected characteristics.

• Act as responsible citizens, contributing positively to society and understanding their role within it.

The effectiveness of our PD provision is continually monitored through student feedback, participation in discussions and events, and the overall positive contribution to students' personal development and wellbeing across the academy.

Coming Soon!

Year 7 - Curriculum Overview

Year 8 - Curriculum Overview

Year 9 - Curriculum Overview

Year 10 - Curriculum Overview

Year 11 - Curriculum Overview