Intent
At Barnes Primary School, we provide a high-quality Personal Development curriculum that helps pupils grow into confident, respectful and responsible individuals. Our curriculum brings together personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education, alongside wider opportunities that promote pupils’ wellbeing and character development.
The curriculum is ambitious, inclusive and carefully sequenced from Nursery to Year 6. It enables pupils to develop knowledge, vocabulary and skills in relationships, health, safety and citizenship, so that they can navigate life safely, happily and healthily.
We place a strong emphasis on:
- Developing positive, respectful relationships
- Promoting mental and physical wellbeing
- Building resilience, independence and self-regulation
- Celebrating diversity, equality and inclusion
- Ensuring all pupils access the same ambitious curriculum
Our curriculum reflects statutory guidance and helps pupils develop the knowledge and skills they need to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, relationships and health.
This prepares pupils well for the next stage of education and for life in modern Britain.
Implementation
Personal Development is taught as both a discrete subject and a whole-school approach, so that learning is meaningful and applied in a range of contexts.
The curriculum is structured around two key strands:
- Healthy Relationships
- Healthy Minds and Bodies
These strands are carefully sequenced from EYFS to Year 6, so that pupils build knowledge and skills over time. Pupils begin with routines, sharing and identifying feelings in EYFS, before progressing to friendships, families, safety and emotions in Key Stage 1, and then to identity, relationships, mental health, puberty, citizenship and risk in Key Stage 2.
Teaching is underpinned by:
- A clearly sequenced curriculum that revisits and builds on prior learning
- Explicit teaching of key vocabulary and concepts
- A spiral approach that deepens learning over time
- Opportunities to apply learning in real-life situations
Learning is delivered through a wide range of approaches, including:
- Discrete lessons
- Cross-curricular links, particularly in computing, science, religious education, English and physical education
- Assembly curriculum
- Visits, visitors and enrichment opportunities, such as trips and performances
- Pupil leadership roles such as pupil council and well being mentors
- Staff modelling of positive relationships and behaviours
The curriculum is further strengthened by a strong focus on the school’s values, inclusion and belonging, and by a citizenship scheme that helps pupils develop responsibility and active participation in school life. Wider opportunities across the curriculum and school experience promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. British Values are promoted through the wider work of the school, and pupils are given opportunities to celebrate different cultures, languages and religions.
Assessment is:
- Formative and ongoing, using observation, discussion and questioning
- Designed to identify misconceptions and inform teaching
- Focused on both knowledge and the application of skills
- Used to identify pupils who would benefit from additional support, and to highlight where further teaching is needed across a cohort
All pupils, including those with SEND and additional needs, are supported to access the full curriculum and make meaningful progress from their starting points.
Impact
As a result of this approach, pupils develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to thrive in school and beyond.
Pupils:
- Know more and remember more through regular revisiting and application
- Can build and maintain positive relationships, showing respect, kindness and empathy
- Understand how to keep themselves safe physically and emotionally
- Recognise and manage a range of emotions
- Show increasing independence, resilience and self-confidence
- Understand diversity and show respect for others’ beliefs, backgrounds and identities
- Apply their learning in real-life contexts, including friendships, decision-making and personal safety
Learning is reinforced across the school day through assemblies, playtimes, pupil leadership roles and wider experiences, helping pupils use their learning in meaningful, everyday contexts.
Pupil voice and wider observations show that pupils feel safe, valued and confident to express themselves.
By the end of Year 6, pupils leave Barnes Primary as confident, respectful and thoughtful individuals who are:
- Equipped with essential life skills
- Able to make informed decisions about their wellbeing
- Prepared for the challenges of secondary school and beyond
Sex Education
At Barnes Primary School, we recognise the importance of teaching sex education, as recommended by the Department for Education, in a way that is appropriate to children’s age and stage of development. The non-statutory elements of sex education are taught in Year 6, and parents have the right to withdraw their child from these lessons. Some aspects of learning which link with sex education, such as naming body parts, form part of the statutory curriculum and must be taught as part of health and science education. For more information, please visit the Sex Education section of our website.
Related Pages on our Website
This section includes links to other pages on our website that support and strengthen our personal development curriculum.
School Values
Our values are central to our school culture. We are committed to ensuring they are not simply
words, but are embedded in each child’s character and lived experience throughout their time at Barnes Primary School.
We actively promote and celebrate our values through daily practice, assemblies and recognition. Pupils who consistently demonstrate these values are recognised with wristbands, which are highly valued and reflect sustained commitment.
British Values
British Values are woven through school life at Barnes Primary, including through assemblies, pupil voice, leadership opportunities and our wider curriculum. This supports pupils in becoming respectful, responsible and active members of the school community.
- democracy
- the rule of law
- individual liberty
- mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs, and for those without faith.
Citizenship Award
At Barnes Primary School, we are proud to give pupils in Years 5 and 6 the opportunity to work towards our Citizenship Awards. There are three levels:
- Bronze – for contributions within the class setting
- Silver – for contributions across the phase, key stage or wider school
- Gold – for contributions within the wider community
The awards recognise and celebrate the active role pupils play in school life and beyond. They encourage children to make positive choices, take responsibility and develop as informed, active citizens, while building their understanding of important aspects of citizenship such as democracy, the rule of law, human rights, diversity and topical issues.
SMSC Opportunities
We provide a range of opportunities across school life to support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The examples below illustrate this, but are not exhaustive.
Spiritual development
- Opportunities for reflection in assemblies and class discussions
- Exploring beliefs and values through RE and the wider curriculum
- Encouraging curiosity, imagination and creativity across subjects
- Time to think about feelings, emotions and personal experiences
Moral development
- Teaching the difference between right and wrong through personal development and daily interactions
- Promoting fairness, respect and responsibility
- Understanding the consequences of actions
- Recognising and celebrating positive behaviour through our school values
Social development
- Working collaboratively in pairs, groups and teams
- Developing communication and cooperation skills
- Opportunities for pupil voice, including pupil council and class discussions
- Teaching about respectful, kind relationships
- Taking on roles and responsibilities across the school
- Participation in our citizenship award programme for older pupils
Cultural development
- Learning about different cultures, religions and traditions through the curriculum
- Celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion
- Visits, visitors and themed events that broaden pupils’ experience
- Opportunities to take part in and perform in school productions
- Preparing pupils for life in modern Britain, including understanding British Values
Useful Links
The links below may be helpful for parents, carers and children. They offer information and support linked to health, wellbeing, safety and relationships education.
Whole Curriculum
This is the statutory curriculum that we teach in school, alongside our wider personal development curriculum and other opportunities that support children’s learning and wellbeing.
- Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education – government guidance covering the full curriculum.
Health and Wellbeing Education Links
- Physical health and mental wellbeing guidance – government guidance on the areas taught in health education, including mental wellbeing, healthy habits, safety and online harms.
- Change4Life – NHS advice and family activities to support healthy eating and active lifestyles.
- The Daily Mile – ideas to help children be active every day.
- Healthy Schools Richmond – local information linked to children and young people’s health and wellbeing in Richmond.
- Portus Richmond – information and support linked to self-harm and suicide prevention.
- Richmond Borough Mind – information, advice and support for young people, adults and carers experiencing mental health difficulties in Richmond and surrounding areas.
- Achieving for Children – information and services to support children and young people to live safe, happy, healthy and successful lives, including Richmond children’s services.
- NSPCC Support and Advice for Families – advice and support for parents and carers on a wide range of family, wellbeing and safety topics.
- BBC Tiny Happy People – simple, free activities, tips and advice to support young children’s development, language and communication.
- Carol Dweck: The Power of Believing That You Can Improve – a short talk introducing the idea of growth mindset and how believing we can improve supports learning and resilience.
- Child Accident Prevention Trust – practical advice to help keep children safe at home and out and about.
- British Red Cross youth first aid resources – first aid learning and safety information for children and young people.
- BBC Teach – free BBC learning resources, videos and classroom content that children and families may find useful.
Relationship Education Links
- Relationships Education (Primary) – government information about what children learn in primary relationships education.
- CEOP Education – online safety education and resources for children, parents and carers.
- NSPCC Online Safety – guidance for families on helping children stay safe online.
- Talk PANTS – a simple NSPCC guide to help children understand that their body belongs to them and that they should tell a safe adult if something worries or upsets them.
- My Body is My Body – a free child abuse prevention resource to support conversations about body safety.
- KidsHealth – Sexual Development – parent information about children’s development, puberty and sexual development.
- Stonewall guidance for inclusive RHSE in schools – information that may help families understand inclusive relationships education.
- Pop’n’Olly – resources for children, parents and carers to support conversations about equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Free2B Alliance – support and information for families and young people around identity and inclusion.
- Just Like Us – LGBT+ Guide for Parents and Carers – a guide for parents and carers with advice on talking about LGBT+ topics in age-appropriate ways.
