Personal Development and Wellbeing (PDW)
Personal development and wellbeing (PDW) is an important part of every student’s curriculum. Our aim is to encourage our students to think carefully about all choices they make in life, which contribute to their overall development and the development of others within our inclusive community.
Integrated topics
The Grey Court personal development and wellbeing curriculum is responsive and fluid, actively listening to the student voice. PDW often overlaps with topics in other curriculum subjects such as science, technology, PE, English and humanities. Students are mainly taught PDW during tutor times, reinforced by specialist lessons every six weeks.
Age appropriate learning
At Grey Court we aim to match the curriculum to each student’s age, developmental stage, particular social pressures they are likely to encounter and their interests and needs. Some of the topics covered during PDW lessons include:
- substance misuse
- sex and relationship education
- personal hygiene
- the individual as a citizen
- extremist views
- online media
- free press
- politics
- friendships
- civil rights
- globalisation.
We also include financial management as part of our general school curriculum.
We expand on these topics regularly so that each student’s understanding of the subject matter increases and develops as they mature and progress up the school.
There are regular updates on PDW in the weekly ebulletin.
Sex and relationships
Our PDW curriculum has been updated to account for the 2019 sex and relationships guidance, set out by the Department for Education. Whilst we feel that sex and relationships education is vital for all, we accept that under the new guidance parents may withdraw their children from the sex and relationships aspect of PDW if they wish. Please note that this exemption does not apply to sex and relationships content in other curriculum subjects such as biology or sociology.
Contact
Ms H James Head of PDW, hjames@greycourt.org.uk
Ms V Price Associate Head, vprice@greycourt.org.uk