For pupils at Westfield the opportunity to learn all the skills they are going to need if they are to become confident, independent people in the world beyond the school is as important as the opportunity to learn the subjects of the National Curriculum. After all, what is the point of gaining qualifications in school if you can’t use a bus to get yourself to work? How are you going to live an independent life if you can’t cook yourself a meal?
A new programme for Personal Development skills
We spent two years developing a programme that provides a focus on identified Personal Development skills across all ages and the curriculum. In September 2021 we launched this new programme and are excited to see how this will support our young people in gaining and developing these life skills. To help our pupils with their understanding of these personal qualities, we have created six animal characters who demonstrate the skills we want to develop. You can see these below.
We aim to ensure that our pupils understand that making progress in these essential life skills is one of the most important things they will do while they are with us. Regular opportunities exist for pupils to develop these skills through our ‘Broadening Horizons’ curriculum, which includes opportunities for outdoor education, a wide range of educational visits and residential activities.
Each half term we will focus on one of the qualities. Pupils can gain certificates to demonstrate how they have developed, with a different certificate for younger and older students. We have also written and published a beautiful book which will be shared and used to demonstrate the qualities. We are really proud of this and are certain that children and adults alike will enjoy it for years to come.
