Personal Development Overview

At West Kirby Grammar School, we aim to not only provide our students with excellent opportunities to excel academically but also grow as young people. We recognise the importance of supporting our students in developing skills to allow them to have a positive impact on the world we live in.

Students develop confidence, resilience, independence and strength of character through both their curriculum timetabled lessons and those wider opportunities available to them. An exceptionally broad range of extracurricular opportunities are offered to all students with exceptional uptake allowing students the chance to pursue areas of passion and discover that vital spark that makes them unique. For full details of our extracurricular activities please click here.

In addition to Personal Development lessons and extracurricular opportunities, students are prepared for an increasingly complex world through a carefully planned and well-structured careers programme which both gives students access to impartial advice and guidance as well as opportunities to experience the world of work. Full details of our careers provision can be found here.

 Our Personal Development lessons give all students the opportunity to learn together.  Lessons are discussion based, allowing students the chance to consider our school values, British values and PSHE topics: being me in my world, celebrating difference, dreams and goals, healthy me, relationships and changing me. Personal Development lessons also highlight spiritual, moral, social and cultural development to our students and provide key opportunities for character development through our focus on Values, Attitudes and Attributes (VAAs) as we embed High Performance Learning (HPL) into the day-to-day life of our school.

Below, you can find some quotes from our Year 9 students who describe their understanding of the aims of our Personal Development lessons:

  • “Developing, improving and thinking about topics that relate to me and helping me to understand who I am.”
  • “Improving our understanding of ourselves and how we can improve our life and the lives of those around us.”
  • “Develop life skills to prepare us for life after school.”
  • “To develop our view of the world and expand our capabilities and potential.”
  • “Lifelong process of learning and shaping our personality, as well as building confidence and developing skills.”
  • “These lessons will help me grow and improve as a person.”
  • “Personal development is about discovering and developing my personal skills, capabilities and my potential.”
  • “Personal development is about finding the best version of yourself.”
  • “Growing and evolving as an individual.”
  • “Personal development lessons help me know how to improve and understand myself by having a better mind set and preparing myself for the future.”
  • “We learn skills to help us achieve personal goals that you wouldn't necessarily cover in other school lessons.”
  • “Personal development is helping us prepare for our future whether it’s the near future or more long term.”

Further details about the topics covered and the skills students focus on in Personal Development lessons can be found in the curriculum maps and overview (click here).

 These documents are continually reviewed and adapted to reflect factors such as the needs of our students at different stages of their school journey and global events.