Supporting the social, moral, spiritual, and cultural (SMSC) development of our students is at the core of our school culture, vision, and ethos, and is embedded across our curricular and extra-curricular provision.  

Our PD curriculum also plays a key role in supporting SMSC. For example:

All pupils in Key Stage 3 have lessons in ‘Religious Studies’ where they reflect on their own beliefs and develop understanding and respect for different faiths/religions. This is reinforced in PD lessons where they are taught directly about religious tolerance and explore the multi-cultural nature of the UK. They are provided with ample opportunity to reflect upon what makes them who they are (e.g., in lessons on ‘personal identity’ and ‘mindfulness’) and explore how others are different.

Our young people learn about ‘the rule of law’ and the legal position in relation to topics surrounding sex, relationships, and broader safeguarding issues (e.g., substance misuse, criminal exploitation, radicalisation/extremism etc). Pupils engage in regular, thoughtful discussions to explore the far-reaching consequences associated with their behaviour and choices (e.g., when teaching topics such as drugs education and bullying) and they learn about the role of the legal system in the UK.

Pupils frequently engage in paired and group work to actively encourage interaction with others from different backgrounds. They are expected to construct their own informed opinions and listen respectfully to the views of others. As a school we encourage active citizenship (e.g., through supporting charities, the NCS programme, Youth Parliament, enrichment activities) to support the school, local and wider community, and pupils are provided with many extracurricular opportunities/electives (e.g., sporting, drama, music, cultural), allowing them to develop skills in cooperation, conflict resolution, teamwork, and an appreciation of difference.

At the heart of our PD curriculum is promoting acceptance and respect for diversity; actively living the shared values that promote community cohesion, and preparing our students for life in modern Britain.  

We adopt a spiral curriculum approach to the teaching of PD, whereby topics are re-visited frequently in increasing depth, in an age and developmentally appropriate manner.

From September 2022 all students in years 7 – 13 will have one discrete Personal Development lesson each fortnight. This is also complemented with tutor time sessions, assemblies and occasional ‘off-timetable’ sessions where pupils receive specialist input from trained professionals (e.g., the school nurse) and other organisations/groups (e.g., Cheshire Fire and Safety, Brook, Change, Grow, Live). This curriculum is planned/monitored/evaluated by the Head of Personal Development and is delivered by a team of specialist teachers.

Our structured PD curriculum described above is complemented by input in assemblies (e.g., mental health awareness, anti-bullying, Pride month etc) and from specialist speakers and organisations, for example, a road safety presentation for year 10 from Cheshire Fire and Safety.

We have also worked with a Dr Elly Hanson (a clinical psychologist) and the sexual health charity ‘Brook’ to develop our whole school approach to tackling sexual harassment and abuse. This includes the direct teaching about this topic in PD curriculum time, as well as stakeholder focus groups, and the development of a bespoke staff training session.

Miss Brereton and Mr Davis run a weekly LGBTQ group. This groups provide our young people with a safe and supportive environment for discussions with peers and members of staff. We are also beginning to work on projects to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ across the school and further develop positive attitudes towards inclusion, diversity, and equality.

Teaching around LGBTQ+ is embedded across our Personal Development curriculum and many other curriculum areas in our school.

All resources that are used with students in their PD lessons are created by specialist teaching staff. We do not rely on a specific organisation to provide our resources and instead we combine our own materials with resources from the PSHE Association and organisations such as the NHS (e.g., in relation to vaping) and Brook Sexual Health Charity (e.g., in relation to contraception). The emphasis is always on providing our students with impartial information so they can make informed choice (to stay healthy and safe) and are aware of the relevant laws. Parents are kept updated about what their children are studying in PD through a letter at the beginning of each academic year, and a detailed fortnightly bulletin in the Headteacher’s Notes.

If parents would like to view resources that are used for any lesson, they should email Jemma Brereton: (jbrereton@tytheringtonschool.co.uk) who will provide them readily and discuss any queries via phone call, meeting or email.