Personal Development and Wellbeing

Curriculum Statement 

Intent

At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, our Personal Development and Wellbeing curriculum aims to form confident, compassionate and responsible children who are ready to thrive in modern Britain and to serve the common good. Rooted in our Catholic ethos and Catholic Social Teaching, we teach pupils that every person is made in God’s image and therefore deserves dignity, respect and care.

We intend that pupils will:

• Develop emotional literacy, resilience and strategies to support positive mental health.
• Build and sustain healthy, respectful relationships, understanding boundaries, privacy, consent (age-appropriate) and how to seek help.
• Understand rights and responsibilities, the rule of law, and how to contribute positively to their communities.
• Learn to keep safe (online and offline), recognise risk and know trusted routes for support.
• Celebrate difference, challenge prejudice and understand protected characteristics, enabling a culture of inclusion and belonging.
• Grow in leadership, service and citizenship through meaningful roles, pupil voice and opportunities beyond the classroom.
• Make informed, healthy choices about lifestyle, wellbeing and relationships as they move through school and prepare for transition.

Implementation

Personal Development and Wellbeing is planned, taught and lived through a coherent whole-school approach so that pupils experience consistent messages, vocabulary and expectations.

We implement the curriculum through:

• A planned programme of learning mapped across the school (including mixed-age classes) using a two-year cycle to ensure full coverage, clear progression and no repetition.
• Discrete teaching through regular Personal Development/PSHE sessions, including Relationships and Health Education, using high-quality resources (including Ten Ten’s Life to the Full) to ensure progression in knowledge, skills and vocabulary.
• Catholic Social Teaching as a thread that shapes discussion, reflection and action (e.g., dignity, solidarity, stewardship, participation), helping pupils connect learning to real-life choices and social action.
• Safeguarding-led practice, explicitly teaching pupils:
  • trusted adults and help-seeking,
  • healthy boundaries and privacy,
  • bullying and cyberbullying awareness,
  • online safety, reporting and digital footprints,
  • risk, pressure and influence (age-appropriate).
• A relational and restorative culture, where behaviour expectations, routines and conflict resolution strategies are explicitly taught and practised, supporting pupils to repair relationships and learn from mistakes.
• Whole-school opportunities that build character and cultural capital, including assemblies, themed weeks, pupil leadership roles, clubs, sport, creative opportunities and community/service projects.
• Cross-curricular links where appropriate (e.g., debates in English, health and the human body in Science, stewardship and nutrition in DT, justice and peace through History), so pupils apply personal development learning in meaningful contexts.
• Inclusive delivery, adapting teaching and resources so all pupils—including those with SEND and those who are vulnerable—can access learning and practise skills, with appropriate pastoral support where needed.
• Monitoring and evaluation through a blend of pupil voice, staff reflection, learning walks/work scrutiny where relevant, behaviour and safeguarding patterns, attendance, and parent/carer feedback, so that provision responds to need.

Impact

The impact of our Personal Development and Wellbeing curriculum is seen in pupils who feel safe, valued and able to participate fully in school life. Over time, pupils:

• Can name and manage emotions using age-appropriate strategies, showing resilience and self-regulation.
• Demonstrate respectful behaviour, empathy, kindness and an ability to resolve conflict constructively.
• Understand healthy relationships and can describe how to keep themselves and others safe, including online.
• Show increasing maturity in discussing values, difference and moral choices, engaging in respectful debate.
• Act as active citizens in school and beyond, taking responsibility, contributing through leadership and service, and understanding how their actions affect others and the wider world.
• Are well-prepared for the next stage of education, with the confidence, knowledge and practical skills to manage change and seek support when needed.