We aim to provide a range of experiences and opportunities in order to fully prepare our children for life both in and outside of school. Our Personal Development offer allows us to provide activities that we give the children the skills and the attributes they need to succeed in their lives now and in the future. We want our children to acquire the skills to allow them to stay healthy, stay safe and prepare them for life and work in modern Britain.
Role Models and Inspirational People
Within the curriculum, our children will look at and explore a range of diverse role models and inspirational people during the year. They will learn about different artists, musicians, scientists, sportspeople - as well as a range of other people who inspire us. We hope that this will inspire them to succeed or spark an interest in an area inside and outside of the curriculum.
Educational visits and Residentials
All children have at least three educational experiences each year where this is through an off-site educational visit or they have an activity, workshop or visitor come into school to enrich learning topics in the classroom. Children will hopefully have the opportunity to experience activities or places which they may not get to experience without it being offered as a trip e.g theatre experience. This allows them to explore and experience different cultures, respect differences and develop new friendships whilst broadening their growing knowledge of topics being learnt in class. These experiences act as a positive stimulus for new learning or helps to review and consolidate their topic work.
We believe that residential visits support the children by building them as individuals and giving them opportunities that they would not have inside the school day or even in their local area. Older children visit Plas Gwynant in Snowdonia for a week. This provides the chance to build independence and allows them to make their own decisions. These outdoor activities help to build skills of resilience, empathy, self-awareness, positivity, communication and teamwork - whilst also overcoming personal challenges.
Clubs
We try to offer all children the opportunity to attend a club over the school year as we believe that these can capture their interest and try new things. Throughout the year, all year groups can attend a range of sports clubs. Other clubs may include: knitting, first aid/CPR, Chess, Chill Out, gardening. Some clubs are run by school staff or governors, whereas others are led by coaches.
SMSC
We firmly believe in an education and curriculum that ensures that our pupils receive a broad SMSC experience. We recognise that the development of pupils, spiritually, morally, socially and culturally plays a significant part not only in their ability to learn and achieve - but in their ability to relate fully to and have the ability to access the world they live in. Therefore, we aim to provide opportunities to explore and develop their own values and wider British values. We feel that it is important to teach them to recognise that those of others may differ to their own and this is something to be celebrated. Developing spiritual awareness, positive behaviour towards each other, an understanding of and appreciation of the diversity and richness of other cultures are all skills that we nurture, encourage and develop through our teaching and the wider curriculum.
We encourage children to take on roles and responsibilities around school so that they learn to value themselves and others. Roles such as school councillors, wellbeing champions, librarians, sports crew all help develop pride and self-worth and children can make a difference and contribute to school life.
Protected Characteristics
At Hamstead we aim to develop responsible, respectful and active citizens who are able to play their part and become actively involved in public life as adults. We promote an inclusive environment that meets the needs of all pupils, irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. We promote equality of opportunity so that all pupils can thrive together, understanding that difference is a positive, not a negative, and that individual characteristics make people unique and should be celebrated.
