Personal Development at Church Drive
At Church Drive, our culture promotes that all children belong as part of our School Community and are fully included in all aspects of school life. The expectation is all of our children thrive under our care. Our aim is that our pupils develop and achieve skills to be resilient, confident, and obtain wider life skills. This is achieved through our:
Personal Development Curriculum
PSHE/RSE, careers guidance, financial education, online, water, road and rail safety etc. Our children are taught how to keep themselves safe, positive relationships and the importance of keeping healthy
Enrichment
At Church Drive a high proportion of our clubs are taught by internal staff, so that relationships can be fostered and pupils’ access and engagement for ALL pupils can be closely monitored. We have an annual planned agenda for school trips to enrich their learning and incorporate cultural capital opportunities.
Life Beyond School
Pupil achievements outside of school, secondary transition and post-16 employment or higher education.
Character Education
Through our Character Development Framework based upon our four school values; Leadership roles such as Head Boy/Girl, Prefects, Well-Being and Behaviour Ambassadors; Play leaders etc.; volunteering, and community projects such as Claire House Coastal Walk, Singing at Care Home, Supporting St. John Hospice, adopting animals from Woodchurch Farm and our amazing Eco Club
At Church Drive Primary School, we recognise that the primary years are a crucial time for children to develop their identity, aspirations, and understanding of the world. Alongside academic achievement, we place a strong emphasis on Spiritual, Moral, Social, and Cultural (SMSC) development, ensuring that every child has rich and varied experiences both within and beyond the curriculum. By nurturing personal development skills, we equip our pupils with the essential knowledge they need to become educated citizens, preparing them for adult life and teaching them how to engage meaningfully with society.
Throughout their time at Church Drive, children are encouraged to:
- Engage in self-reflection and personal growth, developing confidence and resilience.
- Explore and shape their own values, beliefs, and spiritual awareness.
- Foster knowledge and respect for diverse cultures, traditions, and perspectives.
- Develop curiosity and enthusiasm for learning about themselves and the world around them.
- Understand the consequences of their actions, taking responsibility for their behaviour.
- Engage in ethical discussions, appreciating different viewpoints and moral dilemmas.
- Demonstrate high standards of personal behaviour and show kindness and respect towards others.
- Work cooperatively, resolve conflicts, and develop strong social skills.
- Recognise and appreciate the diversity and richness of other cultures while understanding their own social and cultural heritage.
- Build their ‘cultural capital’ by learning more, remembering more, and developing a broad understanding of the world.
- Understand the role of democracy in shaping Britain, past and present, and the shared values that unite communities.
- Develop the skills and attitudes needed to fully participate in modern British society.
- See themselves as global citizens, understanding their responsibilities in an interconnected world and promoting sustainability, equality, and social justice.
- Prioritise both physical and mental well-being, recognising their importance alongside academic success.
- Benefit from strong family involvement, ensuring a collaborative approach to personal development.
By embedding these principles in all aspects of school life, we aim to nurture confident, compassionate, and well-rounded individuals who are fully prepared for the opportunities and challenges of the future.
Please see a document below in greater detail on SMSC in our school and to read our policy on SMSC. This academic year we are implementing ‘My Happy Mind ‘ in school and embracing ELSA to support with SEMH. We are also hoping to embark on our journey next year to commit to the Excellence in Pupil Development Award (EPDA) to reflect our unwavering commitment to supporting the personal growth and well-being of every child.
Our mission to ensure every child at Church Drive Primary School has the best possible opportunities to be the best they can be. The award will support us to strengthen and evaluate our pastoral curriculum, providing a structured framework to develop essential life functioning skills such as self-confidence, resilience, and self-discipline.
Celebrating Our Strengths
Here are some of the key strengths we offer and deliver to our children at Church Drive Primary School:
- Church Drive is truly “One school—kind and resilient together“.
- Our core values – Citizenship, Collaboration, Expression and Inspiration – are not just taught, but lived and seen every day in school life.
- A warm, supportive culture where every child feels seen, heard, and valued.
- A rich personal development programme, including themed days, visits, clubs, charity work, and opportunities for pupil leadership.
- Strong, nurturing relationships between staff and pupils, creating a calm and purposeful school environment.
- Pupils who feel safe, well cared for, and know exactly where to go for support.
- High attendance rates, reflecting pupils’ sense of belonging and enjoyment of school.
- A thoughtful, detailed approach to British Values, with termly teaching and engaging discussions on prejudice, equality, and global issues.
- Strong safeguarding practices embedded across the school.
- Active partnerships with local and national organisations such as Osborne Court Care Home and Birch Tree Manor Care Home, St. John’s Hospice, Port Sunlight Village Trust, Lady Lever Art Gallery and a future collaboration with Unilever.
Personal Development Overview
The Personal Development Overview is a work in progress and is subject to developments and review on a half termly basis.
Have a read about all of our school highlights, trips and special events taking place throughout the school year. Click on the link below.
PSHE
Our PSHE AND RSE curriculum is taught through the KAPOW platform and develops children’s knowledge and understanding in a wide range of areas including the following:
- Valuing different family structures
- Creating and maintaining positive friendships
- Developing safe and respectful relationships
- Understanding the changes that take place during puberty
- Promoting good health and carrying out first aid
- Learning to make independent choices and not be influenced by others
- Operating safely in a digital world
Building on our comprehensive Early Years offer, this programme of study sets out the progressive sequence of learning and personal development for Key Stages 1 and 2. Personal development coverage and mapping can be found here (link to PSHE overall document long term plan)
Outdoor education
The many benefits of outdoor education are well documented. The Early Years Alliance points to the specific benefits that outdoor learning can have for pupils with SEND, whilst other research (supported by the EEF) also indicates that outdoor learning boosts confidence, social skills, communication, motivation, physical skills, knowledge and understanding. It has also been found to boost children’s mental health, self-esteem, self-confidence, ability to work cooperatively and helps to foster a positive attitude to learning.
Our outdoor education offer also focuses on understanding and appreciating the natural world and the importance of preserving wild places.
Outdoor learning at Church Drive begins in the Early Years and Key Stage 1, where extensive and creative use is made of our limited outdoor space and the exceptional local resources of the Port Sunlight Village Gardens and the Butterfly Park. Our KS1 children explore the Lord Leverhulme village and take part in workshops in the Unilever Art Gallery. The building itself is a fabulous example of sustainability; its many features teaches them how to work closely with the environment. Lord Leverhulme village is used frequently across EYFS and KS1 to enhance all areas of our curriculum and provides children the opportunity to be responsible, respectful members of society who are able to be actively involved in the local environment. The walk to both outdoor spaces embeds pupils’ understanding of road safety, how to keep physically healthy and how to maintain an active lifestyle.
When pupils reach Year 4, they undertake a 2-night residential visit to Beeston Outdoor Education Centre which, for the majority of our children, is their first experience of sleeping away from a home environment. Significant work is done ahead of this visit with children and parents to set the tone and to prepare the children for the challenges they will face.
Personal development opportunities are shared with them and they will complete some reflective activities both during and after the visit to assess how successful they have been.
Building on this experience, pupils attend a 2-day residential visit to ? Outdoor Education Centre when they reach Year 6. This experience is cited by the majority of our students as the most memorable of all their time in primary school. It is a significant development from their Year 4 experience in that it is further from home and has greater expectations and demands in terms of the activity’s pupils take part in and the required levels of independence and personal organisation. As in Year 4, learning takes place in school ahead of the visit to ensure children are aware of the aims and purposes of the visit and to prepare them for the experience. During and following the visit, pupils reflect on their successes and those of their peers.
We have an active Eco Club, obtaining our Green Flag Award last year and have links with members of the village who own an allotment. Each class annually adopts a farm animal and receives regular updates, through our links with Woodchurch High School. We have also supported planting trees in Mersey Park to increase sustainability within our local area. Our school grounds are limited; however, we have created a flower meadow, bug houses and bird boxes across our school environment.
Other opportunities through our Character Development Framework
There are also many planned opportunities for personal development which take place throughout the academic year and which are referenced below.
- designing age-appropriate opportunities for children to perform to an audience across the school year, including external audiences
- enabling children to present their learning to audiences including parents and friends but also the general public
- providing opportunities for pupils to put themselves forward for office, either as a Success group member Prefects, Curriculum Ambassadors, Behaviour & Well-Being Ambassadors, Junior Road Safety Officer, Playleaders etc. The opportunity to contribute to meetings of the Senior Leadership Team or as a Captain of our school Houses
- giving older pupils the responsibility of showing guests around school and speaking to visiting school groups
- enabling pupils to debate important issues and make decisions on which charities to support both locally and nationally
- by promoting and developing our 6 Characteristics of an Effective Learner which encourage our children to be curious, ambitious, resilient, collaborative, reflective and resourceful people in KS1 and 2. These build on the effective learning habits developed through the Early Years Framework
- by teaching the value of diversity in all its forms
- ensuring all pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of the importance of maintaining good physical and mental health
- supporting pupils experiencing anxiety and other emotional barriers to learning and development to build up a personal toolkit to help them manage these challenges. This is achieved through the work of our skilled and experienced Emotion and Wellbeing team and MHST Workshops Y4-Y6
- preparing pupils for the technological world they are growing up in through our innovative use of technology
- development of SMSC through our Character Development Framework linked to our School Values
- developing and promoting awareness of road safety
- Providing Bikeability training for Y5 pupils to help them stay safe on the road and understand their responsibilities as road users
- Swimming lessons for all pupils in Y6
- Crucial Crew experience for Y6 pupils, developing their awareness as citizens by tackling a number of challenging scenarios relating to safety, the law and individual responsibility
- Career week in school for Y5 and Y6 pupils