"The Westgate School is a happy and vibrant community,
where pupils are encouraged to aim for excellence"
(Ofsted, September 2022)

Personal Development
‘Working in partnership with parents/carers and the wider community to enable pupils to feel safe, included, happy and prepared for life beyond school’
Why Learn Personal Development?
Personal Development (PD) equips pupils to live healthy, safe, productive, capable, responsible and balanced lives. It encourages them to be enterprising and supports them in making effective transitions, positive learning and career choices and in achieving economic wellbeing. A critical component of PD education is providing opportunities for children and young people to reflect on and clarify their own values and attitudes and explore the complex and sometimes conflicting range of values and attitudes they encounter now and in the future. Personal Development education helps pupils to cope with the changes at puberty, introduces them to a wider world and enables them to make an active contribution to their communities.
The curriculum for Personal Development is led by our Designated Safeguarding Lead Practitioner (All-Through), Year Leaders and, nominated colleagues in our primary phase. This ensures that the content is always age appropriate. Ground rules are used in all lessons to ensure that this aspect of our curriculum is facilitated in an emotionally safe way. All teachers are supported to deliver Personal Development lessons in an appropriate way through CPD programme and individual support by the Year and Assistant Year Leaders. Specialist teachers are used to deliver some aspects of the curriculum.