Personal Development Team
At St Matthew’s, Personal Development is at the heart of school life and reflects our mission: We Pray, We Care, We Achieve.
We are committed to developing the whole person, supporting every student to grow spiritually, personally, socially and academically. Through our Catholic ethos, we encourage our young people to recognise their own unique gifts and talents, show compassion and respect for others, and develop the confidence and resilience to fulfil their potential.
Mr Willis
Director of PSHE
Mrs Mckechnie
Director of PSHE
Ms Begum
Specialist PSHE Teacher
Our Approach to Personal Development
Personal development is a shared responsibility across the whole St Matthew’s community. Every member of staff plays a part in helping our students become confident, responsible and compassionate young people.
Form tutors have a particularly important role, providing daily guidance, encouragement and support. Alongside this, colleagues across the school provide a wide range of enrichment opportunities, extracurricular activities, educational visits, rewards, leadership opportunities and experiences designed to broaden students’ horizons.
Our Personal Development provision reflects our commitment to We Pray, We Care, We Achieve:
We Pray – our Catholic faith and Gospel values underpin school life, helping students to develop spiritually, reflect on their values and recognise their responsibility to others.
We Care – we create a safe, inclusive and supportive community where students learn to respect themselves and others, celebrate diversity, build healthy relationships and know where to seek help and support.
We Achieve – we encourage students to develop confidence, resilience, independence and aspiration, providing opportunities for them to discover their talents, take on leadership responsibilities and prepare for their future.
Personal Development is supported through our PSHE curriculum, form time, assemblies, enrichment activities and wider opportunities across school. Our provision is regularly reviewed to ensure that it responds to the needs of our students and meets relevant statutory guidance, including Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE).
Personal Development Themes
Our Personal Development themes are designed to respond to the needs of the St Matthew’s community while reinforcing our Catholic values and wider school priorities.
Weekly themes provide opportunities to explore the Gospel message, safeguarding priorities, current issues and important aspects of personal development. They also support students’ understanding of fundamental British Values and provide opportunities to recognise and celebrate the diversity of faiths, cultures and traditions within our community.
Our provision is informed by safeguarding information, student voice and emerging issues affecting young people. Personal Development, PSHE, pastoral and safeguarding colleagues work together to ensure that what we provide remains relevant, purposeful and responsive to the needs of our students.
Year Teams are also able to respond to issues that are particularly relevant to their students. Where appropriate, we work with external organisations and specialist speakers to provide additional education, support and experiences.
Through this approach, we aim to equip every student with the knowledge, skills, values and confidence they need to keep themselves and others safe, make informed choices, contribute positively to their community and prepare for life beyond St Matthew’s.
What Our Students Say About Personal Development
Student voice is an important part of evaluating and developing our Personal Development provision. Students value opportunities to celebrate their cultures and identities, learn about important issues, participate in PSHE and develop their leadership skills.
- Culture Day provides each person in the school community the ability to have their backgrounds and heritage celebrated. It provides students and teachers alike a safe space in which they can be their true, authentic selves. It is ultimately an event that induces anticipation and excitement throughout the academic year, and it never fails to put smiles on the faces of every boy and girl in our school.
- “The Stop the Bleed session taught us important life-saving techniques and what we can do to help someone in an emergency.”
- “I like the PSHE bulletin. You can tell it has been made to help us with important issues and things that matter to us.”
- “There are lots of opportunities for me to get involved in leadership activities.”
At St Matthew’s, Personal Development is about preparing our young people not only for their next steps, but for life. Through everything we do, we encourage them to live out our shared mission: We Pray, We Care, We Achieve.