Personal Development

 

Department Profile

Personal Development at Plumstead Manor School consists of PSHCE (Personal, Social, Health, Careers and Economic Education) and Citizenship.  We draw on good practice and tailor our programme of study to reflect the needs of the young people within our community.  We are a dedicated team of staff who set high expectations and we aim to inspire, motivate and challenge pupils to open their minds and empower them to make thoughtful choices. We adapt our teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all and are passionate about what we do.

KS3 Curriculum:

At key stage 3, we have mixed ability classes and our subjects are taught on an age appropriate spiral approach.

Objectives of course:

Citizenship is all about the world and people around us. It is understanding how society works and our place in it. We focus on active Citizenship and explore how we can create change at local, national and international level.  Personal Development  lessons focus on us as an individual. We explore what a good life is, how we can lead a good life. We explore different choices available to us and the possible consequences of our choices. The department focuses on allowing students to make moral, healthy and informed choices. We use a philosophical framework and aim to develop caring, creative, critical and collaborative thinking.

Course content:

In Citizenship we cover topical and controversial issues which  gives our students a better understanding of our society and how it works. These include; human rights, the role of media, power, politics, our responsibilities, environmental issues, European Union, Immigration. In Personal Development we provide age relevant issues. These include dealing with stress, drugs education, mental health, relationship and sex education.

KS4 Curriculum

Objectives of course:

At key stage 4, we continue to build on the knowledge our students have acquired in Key Stage 3. 

Course content:

We provide age specific material in our Personal Development lessons such as dealing with exam stress, financial capability, getting ready for work and college

In Key Stage 4 some of our students choose Citizenship as a GCSE subject. We are proud of the Active Citizenship tasks we encourage our students to get involved in. We focus on making a difference. Active Citizenship requires working with others, such as students, the wider community, charities and people in power.

Exam board: Edexcel

Course content: 

Citizenship is all about the world, the controversial issues we face daily, and about making moral choices. The topics we study include identity, immigration, multiculturalism, rights versus responsibilities, crime, globalisation, international organisation and media.

Assessment scheme and structure:

Two exams at the end of Year 11 each one hour long and fifteen minutes long.

KS5 Curriculum:

Course content: 

Extended Project allows students more control over their study than ever before. Students have a have a free choice of project topic. And the finished project can be almost anything.  Previous projects include written reports, performances, a piece of art, community projects, creation of CDs and DVDs.

Exam board: AQA

Assessment scheme and structure: There are no exams, students are assessed on the following three tasks: completing a project, a presentation and a production log.

This qualification has transferable skills that are highly valued in all other subject areas. These include; independent learning, referencing, working with others, time management, critical analysis, evaluation, detecting bias.

Extra Curricular Activities:

We also offer a comprehensive Personal Development and Careers programme at KS5 including:

• Study Skills
• Personal Statement Writing
• Health and Well-being
• Skills for London
• Progression and Career Pathways

To be able to achieve our goals to give students the best possible learning experience, we organise numerous trips, competitions, events and guest speakers across all age groups. These include:

• First Give
• Parliamentary trip
• Visits to Law Courts
• Working with voluntary sector to allow student engagement with professionals (including Amnesty International, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and Animal Welfare).
• Philosophy Club
• Educational trip to Auschwitz