Personal Development

Personal Development at Hartlepool Free School

At Hartlepool Free School, Personal Development is central to our work in preparing pupils for life beyond school. Our aim is to help every young person develop the knowledge, skills, confidence and resilience they need to be safe, healthy, independent and able to make positive choices about their future.

Our Personal Development programme is carefully designed around the individual needs of our pupils, particularly their SEND and SEMH needs. It is delivered through a combination of PSHE and Relationships and Sex Education (RSHE), Personal Development lessons, safeguarding education, careers education, SMSC, British Values, enrichment opportunities and personalised support.

Pupils receive a planned and sequenced curriculum across the key stages, with learning adapted to ensure it is accessible, relevant and meaningful. Topics are revisited over time so that pupils can build their understanding, remember key messages and apply their learning in real-life situations.

Our Personal Development curriculum includes learning about:

physical and emotional health and wellbeing
healthy and respectful relationships
online safety and digital resilience
safeguarding, exploitation and personal safety
consent, boundaries and appropriate behaviour
equality, diversity and inclusion
British Values, democracy and citizenship
financial awareness and independent living
careers, employability and preparation for adulthood
resilience, confidence and self-regulation
making safe and informed decisions

Safeguarding Education

Safeguarding education is embedded throughout our Personal Development programme. Pupils are taught how to recognise unsafe situations, identify trusted adults, seek help and understand risks both online and in the wider community.

Our curriculum is responsive to emerging safeguarding concerns, local issues and the individual needs of our pupils. Where appropriate, themes are reinforced through assemblies, individual support, targeted interventions and information shared with parents and carers.

SMSC and British Values

We actively promote pupils' Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development and the fundamental British Values of:

democracy
the rule of law
individual liberty
mutual respect
tolerance and respect for people of different faiths and beliefs

These values are explored through curriculum learning, pupil voice, Student Council, celebration events and everyday school life.

Pupils are encouraged to develop their own views, listen respectfully to others and understand their responsibilities as members of their school and wider community.

Careers and Preparation for Adulthood

Careers education forms an important part of Personal Development. Pupils are supported to recognise their strengths, interests and aspirations and to understand the different education, training and employment pathways available to them.

Our careers programme includes careers learning, employer and provider encounters, careers guidance, workplace and employability skills, Careers Passports and preparation for post-16 transition.

Preparation for adulthood is also closely linked to pupils' Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and our Personal Progress programme. Individual targets may focus on areas such as independence, communication, self-regulation, confidence, relationships, employability and life skills, allowing pupils' personal development to be monitored and celebrated over time.

Month	Core activity from annual rolling plan	Gatsby Benchmarks evidenced
September	Careers Passport reviews, pupil voice baseline, EHCP/PfA focus, Compass+ baseline, programme shared, Year 11 destination RAG and Plan A/B/C, leaver follow-up, website check.	1, 3
October	Community role visitor, local jobs and “what is work?”, academic/vocational/technical pathways, CV writing, Year 11 applications, employability audit, parent/carer pathway information.	2, 3, 5
November	Strengths linked to adult roles, Year 8/9 provider encounter, Year 10/11 provider encounter, provider access recording.	3, 7
December	Enterprise Week, applications and interview practice, workplace behaviour/problem-solving, termly evidence review and SLT/governor/trust update.	1, 3, 5
January	Adult skills and workplace skills carousel, independent careers guidance interviews, work experience readiness assessment.	3, 8
February	Careers linked to subjects week, employer-led workplace activity or visit, mock interviews, CV review, employer mentoring/supported employment session.	4, 5, 8
March	Technical pathways and apprenticeships lesson with provider input or supported visits where appropriate, college/supported internship/employment preparation, Year 11 destination review and Plan A/B/C confirmation, termly evidence review.	1, 2, 3, 7
April	Community participation, workplace expectations, work experience preparation, employer research, independent living and employment routines, risk assessments.	3, 6
May	Work experience activities, employer-led challenges and workplace visits; KS4 internal, supported external or independent external placements.	5, 6
June	Careers reflection, Year 10 work experience reflection, Year 11 transition passport, progression portfolio, final transition plan, destination tracker, parent/carer feedback.	1, 3
July	Aspiration targets, experience reflection, Careers Passport completion, Compass+ updates, annual impact review and next-year priorities shared with SLT/governors/trust.	1, 3

Wellbeing, Inclusion and Pupil Voice

Supporting pupils' wellbeing and inclusion is a key priority across the school. Pupils benefit from strong relationships with staff, personalised pastoral support, SEMH interventions, multi-agency working and our graduated approach to inclusion.

Our inclusion systems allow us to regularly review pupils' needs and provide additional support where required, including through our weekly behaviour and inclusion clinics.

Pupil voice is an important part of our Personal Development provision. Pupils have opportunities to contribute through Student Council, curriculum feedback, safeguarding pupil voice and careers discussions, helping us understand their experiences and continually improve our provision.

Wider Personal Development

Personal Development extends beyond the classroom. Pupils are given opportunities to broaden their experiences through assemblies, visitors, trips, enrichment activities, celebration events, community involvement and themed activities throughout the school year.

Through our Personal Development provision, we aim to ensure that pupils leave Hartlepool Free School better equipped to:

stay safe, form positive relationships, understand themselves and others, contribute positively to their community and take their next steps into adulthood with greater confidence and independence.