Personal Development at Redhill School
Our personal development curriculum ensures that every student has access to high quality educational experience preparing them to tackle the diverse range of opportunities that life has to offer. Students leave Redhill School a strong sense of right and wrong, with the knowledge of how to navigate the world and their responsibilities within it. Our students acquire the knowledge, skills and attributes to be successful, enabling them to think for themselves and show strength of character.
Personal development is aligned across the whole-school curriculum and explicitly sequenced across PSHE, TPE, and the Tutor programme. This empowers our pupils and enables them to make sense of the world and grow into citizens who make a difference.
What is Redhill’s EDUCATIONAL INtENT for Tutor Time?
The Tutor Programme, alongside PSHE and TPE, is the vehicle for nurturing personal development in our pupils. Tutor time sessions enable tutors and other colleagues to work on themes that require additional time as a group, including careers, metacognition and self-regulation.
Tutors foster character development and enrichment in students during tutor time through a structured and engaging programme that promotes personal growth, social skills and self-awareness.
The Tutor Programme complements the academic curriculum by focussing on the school’s core values of Kindness, Honesty and Respect, whilst ensuring that students are ready to make strong progress in each day’s learning, are ready to make the most of their learning opportunities have an appreciation of the value of good attendance and punctuality at school.
Tutors actively encourage and promote the wide range of opportunities that are available to our students within and outside of school.
“A great form tutor will build a positive relationship with each and every member of the form class. They will use tutor time to reinforce the school ethos and to inspire and encourage students. The form tutor will encourage an environment of mutual respect as well as showing personal attention to every individual as often as possible. The form tutor is a vital link between student, school and parents/carers.
What is Redhill’s EDUCATIONAL INTENT for Careers?
At Redhill School, we are committed to delivering high quality careers information, advice and guidance for all. Our Careers curriculum and associated activities are guided by our school values of honesty, kindness and respect. Our Careers curriculum is broad and designed to develop key skills, explore a variety of Post-16 options & destinations and provide students with a range of compelling learning opportunities.
The curriculum is based around the six key areas of: Discover, Explore, Focus, Plan, Decide and Apply. These areas support students in being able to make timely and informed decisions about their future beyond Redhill and making positive contributions as global citizens.
Work Experience
At Redhill, we believe that Work Experience is a valuable part of our pupil’s considerations and preparations for their life after school. This year we are extremely pleased to be able to reintroduce a face-to-face Work Experience programme for all pupils in Year 10.
This week-long work placement puts pupils in a new environment and gives them the exciting opportunity to gain an understanding of the world of work. The process of finding a placement develops useful skills in self-awareness, research, communication and resilience. During the actual placement they will see, first-hand, the roles, responsibilities and skills associated with real working days. The experience will help self-confidence and give pupils a chance to improve important life skills. Furthermore, this is a superb opportunity for pupils to gain an understanding of the work place that they may be interested in pursuing; allowing them to decide if this is the right pathway for them.
What is Redhill’s EDUCATIONAL INTENT for Theology, Philosophy and Ethics?
In this subject, pupils will consider historical and contemporary topics in the disciplines of Theology, Philosophy and Ethics. Pupils will study the theoretical elements of these challenging subjects, taking inspiration from well-established scholars to form personal opinions about some of life’s biggest questions. Pupils will also be learning about religion and learning from religion in order to explore the ideas that most faiths offer as answers to life’s deepest questions.
Pupils will enhance their knowledge of the development of faith and its influence on individuals, culture, behaviour, and national life. This in turn ensures they develop an understanding of our multi-cultural society and how faith plays a part in Britain’s institutions of law and government.
They will learn to be open minded to other points of view and to identify and challenge misconceptions and prejudice, to listen to each other and not be afraid of making their own voice heard, justifying their viewpoint with reasoned consideration. Pupils will become critical thinkers that are curious about human nature and the meaning of life.
The curriculum is spiral, in that the knowledge and skills learnt in each topic is a pre-requisite for future topics. Our curriculum will ensure that pupils have a breadth of knowledge about the major world religions, philosophical themes, ethical theories and a depth of knowledge about the religions present in the local area.
Pupils will answer the key topic questions at the end of each topic to allow reflection in regard to their own worldview. They will be assessed formally using an end of topic assessment to ascertain understanding of knowledge and level of skill.
What is Redhill’s EDUCATIONAL INTENT for PSHE?
PSHE intends to develop the skills and knowledge necessary for pupils to make safe choices and become positive, healthy individuals whilst at Redhill and in later life.
Pupils will be taught essential skills such as resilience, self-control and self-regulation. They are encouraged to develop a healthy concept of self, realistic self-image, self-worth and assertiveness. They are shown how to, and explore the importance of, developing empathy and compassion, a respect for others and valuing and respecting diversity. They will learn how to assess risk, make decisions, critically analyse and form their own values and principles.
Pupils will develop their employability and explore careers in preparation for the next stage in their lives. Redhill is a lead Hub school within the Black Country, supported by the Careers and Enterprise Company. This partnership supports the Careers Leader in the strategic and operational elements of achieving the eight Gatsby Benchmarks for a World Class Careers Curriculum.
The PSHE curriculum is spiral. Pupils will develop their knowledge and skills in topics as they move through the Key Stages. Previous knowledge from earlier years will be required for building on future learning and understanding of certain issues.
PSHE throughout all year groups focusses on the themes of:
Relationships and Sex Education
The Wider World
Health and well-being.
What is Redhill’s EDUCATIONAL INTENT for Cultural Capital?
The whole-school curriculum will prepare Redhill pupils to live and thrive in culturally and ethnically diverse modern Britain. Curriculum areas ensure that cultural capital is a thread throughout the whole curriculum offer.
We have a rich, broad and varied enrichment programme, including trips – expectation of participation, with optional and targeted opportunities, including, ski trip, Theatre visits, Music concerts, Outdoor adventure experiences, Science trips and a wide range of regular clubs, opportunities and experiences.
The Tutor programme complements this with a Global Citizens session for KS4. Sessions are a time to look out into the world to foster a sense of our place within it. These sessions will explore national and global themes and events, link to Citizenship, British values, Careers and TPE. The sessions will also be a chance to promote diversity and inclusion. For KS3, this is delivered in the PSHE programme.
What is Redhill’s EDUCATIONAL INtENT for Wellbeing?
Redhill School has a SEMH strategy that supports the continual growth of our whole school approach to Mental Health and has two key aims:
To meet the needs of students with SEMH through the school’s universal offer.
To enable all students with SEMH to make progress with regards to their personal and emotional development.
We are a Trauma Informed School. A trauma informed school is one that is able to support students who suffer with trauma or mental health problems and whose troubled behaviour acts as a barrier to learning.
Mindfulness sessions in the Tutor Programme will promote a whole school focus on wellness. This is time for pupils to be without screens to practice calmness, learn self-regulation, emotional literacy and unwind.
What is Redhill’s EDUCATIONAL INtENT for Values?
We base everything we do on our core values of Respect, Honesty, and Kindness. We strive to be excellent in everything we do.
Our school motto is “Commitment to Excellence. ” and expect excellence in everything we do every day.
Pupils will be explicitly taught about these values through the Tutor Programme, so that all pupils will know what is expected from them. They are within each lesson, referred to in Assemblies and seen in our corridor culture.
Redhill pupils will:
Treat each other with kindness and respect at all times.
Are honest, admit our faults, celebrate our differences and work together as a community.
Respect the right of all to learn and be taught. We engage in our learning and we are committed to excellence in every lesson, every day from our staff and students.
Have high expectations for ourselves and others and support a behaviour for learning culture across the school.
Are punctual, well equipped and ready for our learning in all lessons, wearing our uniform with pride.
Our Redhill values are an extension of British values and good Character.
What is Redhill’s EDUCATIONAL INtENT for Character Education?
What is Redhill’s EDUCATIONAL INENT for Character Education?
We believe that character education is best taught through whole school expectations, ethos and culture, alongside planned curricular opportunities, that all students will experience universally.
Tutors fosters character development and enrichment in students during tutor time through a structured and engaging programme that promotes personal growth, social skills and self-awareness. Character Education is delivered explicitly to Years 7 and 8 through our Amazing People Programme. This online programme promotes character education, diversity, inclusion and British Values. It reflects the core values of Resect, Honesty and Kindness and inspires pupils to be confident, resilient and respectful citizens skilled to face the future.
We are developing leadership at all levels and using the form time programme to support these opportunities. In all year groups we have form reps who take part in regular student voice activities. In Y9 and Y10 we develop our antibullying ambassadors and Peer Mentors. In Y11 we have a dedicated student leadership team who support a range of school improvement groups related to primary liaison, equality and diversity, charity and the environment.
PSHE explores positive characters traits throughout all themes and supports pupils to develop the qualities that they need to thrive in modern society.
What is Redhill’s EDUCATIONAL INtENT for Equality and Diversity?
Redhill School seeks to develop an educational environment in which there is recognition of the positive benefits and opportunities afforded by living in a diverse society. At Redhill we promote equality of opportunity and diversity across our curriculum. As a result, pupils understand, appreciate and respect difference in the world and its people, celebrating the things we share in common across cultural, religious, ethnic and socio-economic communities.
Tutor Programme
Inclusive classroom environment – Tutors at Redhill will use clear structures to create a safe place without prejudice – where students have the opportunity to thrive.
Successfully teaching using are clear guidelines will raise awareness of diversity to highlight individual characteristics and traits that make people unique rather than different.
Redhill students will be able to demonstrate understanding of equality and human rights and articulate these through structured discussion in tutor time.
This knowledge will enable Redhill students to understand how they should be treated and how to treat others. Successful delivery of specific units of study will promote equality and create a safe environment for students to challenge, discuss, explore, and form lasting values, morals, and opinions.
Student Voice/Leadership
There are many opportunities at Redhill School to ensure students have the chance to take up and develop leadership skills. We value empowering young people to have a voice and maximise the opportunities to allow school improvement to be driven by students, alongside adult leaders.
The Senior Prefect Team have a significant platform to have impact and leave a legacy at Redhill School. Twelve students are elected by the whole school community to take up these important posts for their final year at the school. Every year, all students in Year 10 are welcomed and encouraged to apply, by putting their names and a statement of intent forward. They campaign and have an opportunity to publicise their ideas. Shortlisted student deliver their vision to their pier group through assemblies. Every student then has an opportunity to cast votes for their favourites, as do all members of staff. We take the opportunity at this point every year to embed to knowledge and understanding that students have developed about the fundamental British Value of democracy.
Senior Students meet with the Headteacher regularly to move their ideas forwards. Individual Year Councils, holding regular meetings with Form Representatives across the school. All feedback is considered and then communicated to students, ensuring there is a feedback loop and students know their voice is being heard.
Ambassadors in year 8-9 hold positions of responsibility. For example, each year they lead workshops across all areas of the curriculum, showcasing their work to prospective families during open evenings. Year 10-11 student take on the responsibility of guiding groups around the school, giving protective students and parents an insight into all aspects of school life at Redhill.
WHY READING MATTERs
Redhill School has recognised the need to continually grow our pupils’ love of reading and learning. We incorporate reading for pleasure into our English curriculum time as a way of promoting reading with all students at KS3.
We do this as part of our Library lessons. This is an opportunity for our students to visit the school library and pick a book of their choice to read for pleasure during designated times in English lessons. The programme also uses class readers at some points in the academic year. This promotes a culture of reading and models reading.
Coupled with the opportunities provided through our English Department and librarian such as book clubs, author visits and celebration of World Book Day and National Poetry Day, we believe Redhill provides pupils with an enriching experience to read for pleasure and grow their love of reading throughout the school year.
The Tutor Programme has dedicated Reading for Pleasure sessions in Years 7 and 8. Reading is incorporated into Mindfulness sessions in Years 9, 10 and 11.