Personal Development

At Norwood Primary & Pre-School, personal development is at the heart of everything we do. Guided by our values of Aspiration, Belonging and Compassion, we are committed to helping every child flourish academically, socially and emotionally in a happy, inclusive and nurturing environment.

We use the PSHE Association programme to support the planning and development of our PSHE education, citizenship curriculum, and aspects of our provision that contribute to the Enrichment Benchmark criteria, such as promoting children's personal development, character, leadership, and active participation in school and community life.

The People Project is our whole-school curriculum thread that introduces children to a diverse range of significant people from different backgrounds, cultures, careers and periods in history. Through exploring their lives, achievements and values, pupils develop their understanding of the world, build aspirations for their own futures, and deepen their learning across PSHE, citizenship, British Values, SMSC, and the wider curriculum.

The People Project

The People Project is a personal development curriculum designed to nurture the whole child, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and character traits they need to thrive in an ever-changing world. Rooted in our values of Aspiration, Belonging, and Compassion, this curriculum empowers children to dream big, feel connected, and act with kindness—both within their school community and beyond.

It is our mission:

For all our children to feel safe, secure and mentally healthy so that they can flourish.
To have the highest aspirations and ambitions for our children, both academically and personally.
Celebrate our differences and build a strong, caring community where every voice is valued and every child belongs, no matter their race, religion, culture, background or disability.
To foster resilience, self-belief and a life-long love of learning so that our children are ready for the challenges and successes of life.

The People Project responds to this by creating meaningful opportunities for pupils to explore who they are, how they relate to others, and how they can contribute positively to society.

By weaving these values into every aspect of learning, The People Project is more than a curriculum—it is a commitment to shaping confident, compassionate individuals who aspire to make a difference.

The idea behind this project is:

to inspire children through an array of individuals in a variety of subjects
to teach children equity, equality, diversity, inclusion, respect and acceptance
to give children aspirations and a map of how to achieve their goals
to improve the amount of teaching surrounding the protected characteristics

Each term is based on one of our school values.

The unit will:

start with an assembly introducing the value, the person and how they link.
include at least one lesson where the children learn about the person and how they demonstrate the value.
have an outcome for each class to contribute into a floor book.
link to British Values, PSHE, SMSC and protected characteristics (age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation) .
give children the opportunity to earn stickers for showing the value and, ultimately, with consistent demonstration, a badge. There will be 6 in total to collect over their time at Norwood.
be celebrated weekly in celebration assemblies and with certificates.
link to a text.

Children's Leadership Opportunities

We offer a range of leadership opportunities for children to develop their confidence, responsibility and sense of belonging and citizenship within the school community. These include:

Young Governors
Climate Champions
School Voices (Pupil Researchers)- with the University of Southampton
Food Focus Group- working with Edwards and Ward, our school caterers
Librarians
Play Leaders