PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
OVERVIEW

We also aim to ensure that when a young person leaves CP Riverside, they are equipped with the skills, characteristics, and attributes needed to thrive as individuals, family members, members of their community, and citizens of modern Britain. We take pride in having an extensive, rich and meaningful PSD curriculum that encompasses these aims through the following subjects:

Relationships, Sex and Health Education

The RSHE curriculum at CP Riverside is designed to ensure that our young people have a sound knowledge and understanding of the risks, difficulties and challenges that young people face today. There is a strong focus on ensuring that our young people can make decisions to keep themselves and others safe and navigate the world of family, friendships, relationships and sex healthily and responsibly. The curriculum has been thematically designed with the expertise of the PSHE Association and sequenced to cover all RSE statutory requirements set out by the government. The curriculum is created using the themes of Health and Wellbeing, Living in the Wider World and Relationships. It has also been sequenced to run alongside awareness days and months enabling our students to engage with a variety of expert-led organisational resources and make sense of awareness campaigns seen on social media and in their communities, developing their cultural awareness.

The curriculum content is age-appropriate and differentiated by each class teacher to suit each group. Students with specific SEND needs receive more discreet and individualised support in an RSE nurture group to help them access more challenging topics.

The school’s strong focus on reducing stigma and discrimination and providing support for our young people in coping with mental health issues means that we participate in events such as Rethink Mental Health, Young Minds: Hello Yellow and Movember each year. The school has also teamed up with The Beauty Banks and The Red Box Project, which provides the school and students with hygiene and period products so that our disadvantaged students aren’t left behind.

We also seek regular feedback from students, staff, and our PSD Student Lead at the beginning of each term, ensuring our students receive knowledge and information about topics they consider as important. The curriculum is also reactive to student needs and ever-changing laws and news, events and issues such as sexual harassment and consent. 

CP Riverside’s curriculum is further developed and supported by regular input from Nottingham’s RSE Network meetings. Schools across Nottingham meet termly to ensure RSE standards and practices remain exceptional. CP Riverside also participates in the national RSE Day that runs every year, and students’ work is showcased through Challenge Nottingham. 

Our aim is that all teachers that deliver on RSE receive the best possible training and staff have access to Nottingham City RSE training and online training provided by Brook Advisory service. Where further expert knowledge is required, we seek the support of external agencies such as Jigsaw (CGL), who provide our students with specialist workshops on drug and substance misuse. The RSE curriculum also embeds the school’s core values and references British values. The 2021/2022 curriculum has also considered gaps in learning that may have occurred during lockdown so some topics have been brought forward in the term.

Students who need to be stretched and challenged can also produce additional work to achieve an NCFE L2 Award/Certificate in PSHE.

Careers

CP Riverside recognises the importance of a relevant and effective careers and employability programme to prepare our students for the world of work. Our vision is that students leave CP Riverside with the necessary skills, knowledge and ambition to embark on their next steps with confidence and determination. The intent for careers education at Y10 is to allow students to discover learning & training options available to them post-16 & understand the importance of employability skills and money-managing skills. At Y11 the intent is for students to demonstrate a decisive and proactive attitude in applications for their post-16 destination. 

More information on our careers and next steps provision can be found by clicking the link here.

Citizenship

British values are embedded across the whole of the PSD curriculum; however, through our citizenship programme, there is particular emphasis on them in this subject. We aim to deliver an engaging and exciting curriculum that develops our students’ leadership, analytical and critical thinking skills as they develop knowledge and understanding of how they can become active and responsible citizens in society. The curriculum aims to ensure students can participate in lively political debates and discuss social justice issues in a safe and supportive environment. Students have the chance to have their voice heard through CP Parliament, where each team appoints student leads to help improve their school experience. The school is part of the Voice 21 initiative, which further develops their oracy skills. 

Character Education

The character education curriculum embedded into the PSD curriculum aims to ensure that a multitude of character traits are taught to develop the confidence, resilience, and well-being of every individual in the school. Not only are these character traits woven into every area of school life, but they are also taught in ambitious sessions that allow students to develop their knowledge of cultural capital – essential for giving them confidence in wider society as well as ensuring they have the character trait literacy skills needed to progress in their futures. Again, Character Education is tied in with national and local awareness days, sporting  and artistic events to further embed their learning and ensure it remains meaningful to students. The school is also in partnership with Link3, an enterprising local business that partners with motivational speakers who deliver sessions in school to help raise our students’ aspirations, confidence, and motivation.

Contact
If you require further information regarding our Personal and Social Development Curriculum, please contact Amanda Hunt, Personal Development Curriculum Leader on 0115 986 4098 or email amanda.hunt@cpriverside.co.uk