Personal Development
At Southill Primary, the personal development and well-being of our pupils sit at the heart of our ethos and our Bright Futures Curriculum. We believe that nurturing confident, resilient, compassionate and responsible young people is just as important as academic success. Through our carefully designed curriculum – enriched by our coastal location, strong community links and commitment to inclusion – we prepare children for life in modern Britain and for exciting futures beyond primary school.
Our Personal Development curriculum extends far beyond the academic. It equips pupils with the essential knowledge, skills and values they need to be active, thoughtful and informed citizens. Through rich experiences, leadership opportunities, character education, health and wellbeing learning, outdoor learning and a wide range of trips, clubs and visitors, our pupils learn how to contribute positively to their community and understand the wider world.
We are committed to developing the whole child. Pupils at Southill are encouraged to explore and reflect on their own values and beliefs, develop spiritual awareness, and show curiosity about themselves, others and the world around them. They learn to form respectful relationships, show integrity, celebrate diversity and appreciate the richness of different cultures, backgrounds and perspectives. High expectations of behaviour, kindness and responsibility underpin everything we do.
Through opportunities such as school council, eco leaders, Bronze Ambassadors, charity events, community projects and residentials, pupils develop teamwork, leadership, communication and independence. Our RSHE, SMSC, safeguarding and wellbeing programmes ensure that pupils know how to stay safe – online and offline – look after their physical and mental health and develop the confidence and resilience needed to thrive.
At Southill, every child is entitled to a broad and varied Personal Development programme, tailored to their needs and rooted in our values. We ensure that all pupils, including those with SEND or other vulnerabilities, can access and participate fully in the opportunities we provide. In doing so, we aim to empower every pupil to become a healthy, happy, thoughtful and responsible member of society – ready for the next stage of their education and for their future lives.
Building Learning Power
At Southill, we are on a very exciting quest to help our children become better learners. As teachers, we can’t possibly teach children everything they need to know to be ready for the world by the time they leave us. But we can inspire within them a love for learning which will remain with them throughout their lives. We believe that, by teaching children how to solve problems and by encouraging them to persevere in the face of challenges, they will develop ‘learning powers’ which can then be applied to whatever skills or knowledge they choose to acquire in their adult lives. We are teaching children how to learn so that they are ready to choose the ‘what to learn’ part for themselves!
We believe there are four key attributes of independent, successful learners. With the children’s help we came up with fun, colourful characters to represent these characteristics and to help the children understand them better. Find out about them by clicking the image below.
