Personal Development at Hartford

Intent

Personal Development and our core values, Respect, Responsibility, Aspiration and Pride are at the heart of everything we do at Hartford Primary School. Our school community is committed to providing an education which extends beyond academic outcomes. We provide the children with opportunities to explore and develop their own values and beliefs, high standards of personal behaviour, a positive caring attitude towards other people and an understanding and appreciation of diversity and the richness of other cultures locally, nationally and internationally. We aim to create happy, healthy, confident and socially responsible individuals who are prepared for life in the 21st century.

The foundations for personal development at Hartford Primary School can be found in our My Happy Mind, PSHE, RE, No Outsiders, Forest School and RSE curriculums, which are carefully planned to ensure that the children’s personal development is a top priority in our school. Subjects such as English, geography, history, science, PE and computing play important roles too.

Implementation and Impact

British Values

The children partake in a Picture News assembly each week. The assembly turns world events into child friendly learning opportunities, providing the children opportunities to learn about and discuss news stories that they are curious or confused about. In each assembly, an appropriate British Values is highlighted and discussed. Further discussions take place outside of these assemblies in the classroom. The British Values are exemplified in our school values and within different curriculums including RE which asks children to be reflective of their own and others’ beliefs and encourages children to consider how the consequences of our actions impact society. Through our No-Outsiders curriculum, the British Values are further addressed alongside the Protected Characteristics within The Equality Act 2010. Each half term, children across the school use age-appropriate picture books to learn about tolerance, empathy, respect, diversity and inclusion. Our children accept and welcome difference and are taught to explore identity and develop confidence in who they are. Andrew Moffat MBE, the author of the educational resource, has visited Hartford Primary School twice and commented that the No Outsiders message is embedded across the school and that both children and staff are enthusiastic.

PSHE & My Happy Mind

At Hartford Primary School, our Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education curriculum focuses on teaching children how to be safe, healthy (physically and mentally) and prepares them for living in the wider world.

To support us in doing this we use the My Happy Mind curriculum (a research-based and award-winning curriculum backed by the NHS). It aims to help children understand how their brain works and to support them in developing positive skills and habits to be their very best selves. It gives children some of the knowledge and tools to manage mental health issues themselves as well as understand when to talk to others and seek help. The skills and knowledge are taught at age-appropriate levels and are adapted to suit the needs of our children and overall promote a culture of positive mental well-being.

Trips and visits: 

Throughout Hartford Primary, the children from EYFS to Year 6 are given the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of experiences, starting in EYFS with an adventure to The Ice Cream Farm in the Autumn Term to the Year 6 performing arts visit to the Lion Salt Works. In Years 2, 4 and 6 the children also have residential visits too!

 All the educational visits are planned to enhance the curriculum and to help the children develop confidence, resilience, promote positive well being and a love of lifelong learning as well as reinforcing the learning in the classroom.

Community and Visitors: 

As well as exploring subjects through real life experiences outside of the school grounds, we believe it is important to foster relationships with people in the local community.

At Hartford Primary School, we welcome a wide range of visitors, from volunteer weekly readers, members of the local allotment committee to people from local places of worship and volunteers at the Food Bank. 

As well as welcoming people into our school, we also attend community events such as singing at the annual Hartford Christmas Fair Light Switch on and each Remembrance Day, a group of Year 6 children proudly place a wreath at the church as a sign of respect and remembrance. We also take part in the NEP (Northwich Educational Partnership) opportunities such as local art projects including displaying our work at the Northwich Art Trail and sewing patches for the Northwich and Cheshire Pride Community Quilt.

We also are working alongside members of Hartford Parish Council as part of the Intergenerational Learning Project and, whilst this is in its infancy, there are plans in place to develop links between the older generation in Hartford and our children which in turn will promote respect for the older generation, respect for the local area whilst giving our children and the older generation the opportunity to develop relationships, share knowledge and promote social cohesion. 

Enrichment opportunities  

There are typically 14 enrichment opportunities on offer before and after school which have been chosen in collaboration with children and families! These include a range of sport, drama, dance and technology.

These clubs enhance social and teamwork skills, boost confidence and provide opportunities for children to explore interests in passions beyond the classroom. Private guitar, piano, drum and keyboard lessons are also available during the school day for KS2 children at a cost to families.

Relationships:

At Hartford Primary School, we pride ourselves in our open door policy and open lines of communication with our families. At the beginning of each academic year, every class teacher welcomes parents to the Meet The Teacher meeting. These meetings give the parents the opportunity to meet with the class teacher/s and hear about the opportunities and curriculum their child/ren will be offered that year. In EYFS, the parents are welcomed on a half termly basis for Stay and Pick up and to share lunch with their children at lunch time.

Through Year 6 roles and responsibilities such as Reading Buddies, Sports Organising Crew, The Diversity Team and Ambassadors, strong relationships are built between the Year 6 children and Early Years children which helps the youngest members of our school community settle into life at school whilst building the older children’s confidence, leadership qualities, coaching skills and empathy. 

Emotional support and communication

Within school, we have a trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) who supports the emotional well-being of children, helping them develop skills to manage anxiety, self-esteem, and other social and emotional needs. Our Attendance Champion supports punctuality and any barriers to attendance.

 Some children also benefit from LEGO Therapy, which is a programme that uses LEGO activities to support the development of social skills. Hartford Primary School also works with a Family Support worker who provides support and guidance to families focusing on promoting positive learning environments and well-being. 

At Hartford Primary School we ensure that all children are offered all the opportunities and we strive to remove any barriers – every child is included in all aspects of school life.

The Rainbow Flag Award

At Hartford Primary School we are committed to ensuring everyone is welcome through our inclusive curriculum and we were proud to renew our Rainbow Flag Award in September 2024.

The Rainbow Flag Award is a national quality assurance framework for all schools and colleges, focusing on LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, plus other related identities) inclusion and visibility.

The award celebrates our whole school approach to LGBTQ+ inclusion, as well as developing strategies to combat homophobic, biphobic and transphobic (HBT) bullying and preparing children for life in the 21st century. Staff achieve this through teaching across the curriculum using different age appropriate books and resources, where children learn about different people and families.

Visitors to our school have highlighted that our children “live and breathe inclusivity rather than it being a token gesture” and are open and educated about LGBTQ+ issues.

To see how Personal Development opportunities are intertwined through our curriculum and year groups, please read the documents in the links below:

Documents with links:

Personal Development Overview

SMSC (Social, Moral, Spiritual, Cultural) Overview

British Values Overview

Personal Development Currculum Maps EY and KS1

Personal Development Currculum Maps Years 3 and 4

Personal Development Currculum Maps Years 5 and 6