Personal Development

As children progress through Witton-le-Wear Primary School, they are given a range of opportunities to flourish and thrive as individuals. We want our children to develop character, skills and knowledge to confidently take part in a variety of situations.

Our provision for personal development starts before the children enter school and aims to enable them once they move on. We listen to the voice of the children, parents and our community to review the offer and ensure it is fit for purpose. We are embedding all elements of personal development within our curricular and co-curricular offer. All children are encouraged to be active participants as well as supported in times of challenge. Children are ready for the next phase of their education and lives.

Aspects of personal development are threaded throughout our curriculum. We make reference to SMSC, British Values and Character Education at the beginning of a unit of work and encourage the children to make the links throughout. However, it is important to note that we understand that personal development is not limited to these three areas.

Please navigate to our curriculum pages to find out more about the content of our curriculum and our expectations. 

Personal, Social, Health Economic (PSHE) Relationships, Sex Education (RSE)

Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education is an important and necessary part of all pupils’ education. PSHE equips pupils with a sound understanding of risk, as well as the knowledge and skills necessary to lead confident, healthy and independent lives.

Relationships, Sex Education (RSE) forms part of our PSHE offer. Relationships education focusses on giving pupils the knowledge and skills they need to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships, and to build their self-efficacy. Pupils can put this knowledge into practice as they develop the capacity to make sound decisions when facing risks, challenges and complex contexts. Everyone faces difficult situations in their lives – RSE can support young people to develop resilience, to know how and when to ask for help, and to know where to access support.

Although sex education is not statutory for primary pupils, we have made the decision to deliver sex education, alongside relationships education. We came to this decision after reviewing local crime and health statistics. We hope that by delivering age-appropriate sex education, alongside relationships education, we can help to safeguard our pupils further.

We consult with our parents annually before delivering our RSE curriculum.