PDL

INTENT

At Leesland Cof E federation, Personal Development Learning (PDL) is a vital part of the education of every child.  We aim for our PDL curriculum to develop the foundations of learning: self-awareness, thinking skills, collaboration and relationships and independence and resilience. Through a planned programme of learning, we aim to provide our pupils with the knowledge, skills and understanding that they need in order to flourish in their lives both now and in the future.  As part of a whole federation approach, we aim to develop the attributes our pupils need to thrive as individuals, as part of a family and as confident, fulfilled and kind members of the wider community.  

Our aims are to teach children how to make informed decisions about themselves and others leading to the formation of healthy relationships. Our aim is to create an inclusive, safe environment for children to find their voice, share their ideas and opinions whilst being respectful of others. By doing this, we aim to challenge injustice and inequality of all forms including: promoting anti-racism, gender equality; LGBTQ+ and disability equality. Our aim within the PDL curriculum is to promote collaborative working and to encourage children to take responsibility for their own learning. This will lay the foundations for children to become self-motivated and resilient learners. The PDL curriculum aims to encourage children to be active citizens within both their local and global community. The promotion of this will encourage children to explore the issues living in a democratic society. Overall, our PDL curriculum encourages children to be happy, healthy and fulfilled.

IMPLEMENTATION

At Key Stage 1 and 2, PDL is taught through a clear and comprehensive scheme of work in line with the National Curriculum. We ensure we cover the Health and Well-Being, Relationships and Living in the Wider World Learning Opportunities set out in the PSHE Association’s Programme of Study, which comprehensively cover the statutory Health Education and Relationships Education guidance whilst encompassing the Church of England values. Pupils are taught PDL weekly using a spiral, progressive curriculum using the questioning approach, covering all of the above and 'aims to prepare children for life, helping them to know and value who they are and understand how they relate to other people in this ever-changing world’. Our assessment process includes pupil conferencing where they can articulate their knowledge of the bigger questions in each unit. There is a strong emphasis on emotional Literacy, building resilience and nurturing mental and physical health. It includes mindfulness to allow children to advance their emotional awareness, concentration and focus. It also identifies links to British Values, and SMSC and is taught in such a way as to reflect the overall aims, values, and ethos of the school.

IMPACT

All the children within Leesland understand the importance of PDL and the impact this can have within the wider world. It is evidenced through pupil voice and enriching experiences. By teaching pupils to stay safe and be healthy, we aim to tackle barriers to learning, raise aspirations and develop positive mental health. The impact of PDL is to enable our learners to be resilient, healthy and independent. The skills are transferable into the wider world and our aim is to begin to provide strategies to support this. It helps children understand how they are developing personally and physically, enabling them to have open, honest conversations in a safe environment where everyone has the opportunity to speak and share opinions. 

What our pupils say about PDL