Skip to content ↓

Personal development

We want all of our children at Princess May to feel happy and safe. We believe it is crucial to help prepare pupils for their future, teaching them to understand how to engage with society and providing them with plentiful opportunities to do so. We do this by:

Developing: 

  • Responsible, respectful and active citizens who are able to play their part and become actively involved in public life as adults
  • Pupils’ understanding of the fundamental British values of democracy, individual liberty, the rule of law and mutual respect and tolerance
  • Pupils’ character (dispositions and virtues) that informs their motivation and guides their conduct so that they reflect wisely, learn eagerly, behave with integrity and cooperate consistently well with others
  • Pupils’ confidence, resilience and knowledge so that they can keep themselves mentally healthy
  • Pupils’ understanding of how to keep physically healthy, eat healthily and maintain an active lifestyle, including giving ample opportunities for pupils to be active during the school day and through extra-curricular activities
  • Pupils’ age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships through appropriate relationships and sex education

Promoting: 

  • Equality of opportunity so that all pupils can thrive together, understanding that difference is a positive, not a negative, and that individual characteristics make people unique
  • An inclusive environment that meets the needs of all pupils, irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation

Enabling: 

  • Pupils to recognise online and offline risks to their wellbeing – for example, risks from criminal and sexual exploitation, domestic abuse, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, substance misuse, gang activity, radicalisation and extremism – and making them aware of the support available to them
  • Pupils to recognise the dangers of inappropriate use of mobile technology and social media

Supporting:

  • Readiness for the next phase of education, so that pupils are equipped to make the transition successfully

Providing: 

  • At Princess May, we strive to provide exposure to the world of work through establishing networks between employers, organisations, charities and secondary schools.  Although the 'Careers guidance and access for education and training providers' is only statutory in Secondary school, we believe it is important to offer pupils: 
    • Experience of work through educational visits to: Kidzania
    • Pupils from Princess May Primary School learn about a large range of careers throughout World of Work Week. The programme is generously funded by Linklaters. During WoW, pupils received a minimum of 5 hours worth of careers-focused learning, including interactive activities, projects and experiments in the classroom, alongside trips to workplaces and volunteer sessions in school, all organised by Inspire! Organisations that also supported WoW at Princess May Primary include BugLife, SmartBooks, Museum of the Home, Mace, Arcola Theatre, Trowers & Hamlins and KPMG. Please see our WOW report below. 
    • Contact with employers to encourage pupils to aspire, make good choices and understand what they need to do to reach and succeed in the careers to which they aspire

Our Provision: 

​We have the following dedicated school team members:

  • SENDCO is the DSL
  • AHT leading on the Curriculum and Teaching and Learning
  • PSHE leader
  • Connect-Ed Art Therapist
  • WAMHS clinician (Mental Health worker in school)

Pupil voice is an important aspect of life at Princess May. We have an active 'School Council' and 'Pupil Curriculum Focus Group' where children learn to discuss issues and talk about ways to improve their school to help build character, have debates and share opinions. 

Throughout school life, we are always looking for opportunities to check that children are feeling positive and enjoying school. Playground Buddies are trained in conflict resolution to help sort out problems at school.  Children take this role very seriously, which gives them valuable life skills. 

Our Connect-Ed Art Therapist is always on hand to work with groups or individuals who may need a bit of extra support at school. 

We at Princess May go above and beyond the expected to ensure that all children are given a chance to shine, by providing opportunities to access a wide and rich set of experiences and extra-curricular activities. Clubs were on hold due to Covid and social distancing, but we have had a strong take up this term of our extra-curricular activities, e.g. Eco-Club, Coding Club and a Choir.

In September 2015, World Leaders committed to the Sustainable Development Goals. They consist of 17 goals to achieve 3 extraordinary things by 2030: to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change. The Princess May curriculum is now fully linked to the (17 Global Goals) and the children’s awareness has been sharply raised to the point where the pupils proffer their ideas and information about global awareness to staff; it is a two-way street! At the end of each term, pupils have the opportunity to showcase their learning, which is linked to the Global Goals. Pupils talk actively about their learning and the messages they are conveying about the world. The 17 Global Goals underpin everything Princess May stands for and what we do. Therefore, we at Princess May became Changemakers - we could see that each one of the school community individually and collectively could make a difference. Assemblies were held, and soon an Eco-Club was formed. Please see our (Global Themes section) for more information. 

You have not allowed cookies and this content may contain cookies.

If you would like to view this content please

 

In the curriculum there is an emphasis on PSHE – Personal, Social, Health Education – including Well-being/Circle times in class where children can talk about social and emotional issues at school. Our carefully planned PHSE curriculum (here) covers the following areas age appropriately in every year group from EY to Y6:

  • Ground Rules; Family and Relationships
  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Safety and the Changing body
  • Citizenship
  • Economic Wellbeing
  • Transition

We carefully plan and deliver other areas for PD:

  • SMSC (assemblies/ visits/ cultural activities). These enhance the spiritual development of our children which is shown by their ability to be reflective about their own beliefs (religious or otherwise) and perspective on life.  Our children gain knowledge of, and respect for, different people's faiths, feelings and values. See our provision (here)
  • British Values (see statutory section here)
  • Careers: Inspire Enterprise week
  • Healthy living (PE/PHSE, Science food curriculum, climate emergency, travel plan)
  • Citizenship (what does it mean to be a good citizen?)
  • Equality and diversity (RSE Curriculum)
  • Preparation for next stage: transition, Nursery to Rec, Rec to Y1, Y2 to Y3 and Y6 to Y7 (state maintained as well as Special)

To summarise personal development at Princess May:

  • The Princess May curriculum is now fully linked to the (17 Global Goals). The 17 Global Goals underpin everything Princess May stands for and what we do. Therefore, we at Princess May became Changemakers - we could see that each one of the school community individually and collectively could make a difference. Assemblies were held, and soon an Eco-Club was formed. Please see our (Global Themes section) for more information. 

  • At Princess May, we continuously seek opportunities to raise money for great causes and charities, such as Oxfam and Children in Need. 

  • There are a wide range of Educational visits to enhance children’s cultural capital for example regular visits to Houses of Parliament (which enhances understanding of British Values), opportunities with ‘Debatemate’, long established links with Voces8 (Opera workshops).  
  • We further developed SMSC through encouraging diversity and respect for LGBT through carefully selected core texts.
  • There is a wide take up in clubs and extracurricular activities including for disadvantaged and pupils with SEND.
  • Many disadvantaged children are currently learning musical instruments including guitar, violin, drums, cello and trumpet.
  • Children are well-prepared for transitions for all stages of transition at this school including the early years. There are strong links with secondary schools, even more so because of Covid.