Personal development
Our mission as a Catholic Sixth Form is to provide the highest possible quality of education for all our students, delivered within the context of Gospel values and the teachings of the Church, within our Christian community.
Formerly known as PSHE, Personal Development (PD) is a curriculum subject through which students develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy, safe and prepared for life and work. Personal development has an impact on both academic and non-academic outcomes for student, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.
At Key Stage 5 our Personal Development curriculum addresses the changes that students will experience from 16-18, explores the transition from secondary school to college and develops the students' careers skills in preparation for progression to university and the wider world of work.
In addition, Personal Development is an important part of our intention to deliver a high quality focused programme with the aim to ensure students are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to be able to make complex decisions regarding their wellbeing, the support of others and knowing where to access support and help should they need it.
It is of vital importance that as a Sixth Form, we ensure our Personal Development content is linked to the Gatsby benchmarks which are the standards for ensuring high quality careers provision within a school. Central to this are Gatsby benchmark 3 & 4 addressing the needs of each student and linking curriculum to careers.
At La Retraite 6, we have weekly Personal Development lessons delivered by experienced form tutors which includes a broad curriculum with lessons in line with statutory regulations and tailored to link to both the schools aims and careers provision. Personal Development content includes Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education, personal safety, employability skills and careers research, drug education, mental health education, learning about the safe use of social media, peer on peer abuse, bullying and discrimination, together with practical life skills including first aid, money management and healthy lifestyles. In the Sixth Form particular emphasis is given to student's progression post 18, with curriculum time given to supporting UCAS applications & developing skills for apprenticeships.
Resources used to deliver the Personal Development curriculum are developed by the school's 6th form PSHE co-ordinator, SLT, department leads and YLCS and consists of a blended approach of structured lessons, workshops, assembly's and talks from external providers in line with the Baker clause.