Personal Development

Our Strength of Character Passports

Each child will track their personal development experiences using our passport where we provide and encourage meaningful experiences throughout each stage of their journey with us…

Personal Development Opportunities and Experiences...

During their time with us, children will:

In the Community:

• Children in Year 2 sing at Oakwood Clocktower at Christmas each year as part of the celebration to turn on the Christmas lights.
• Children write letters to local care homes and residents are invited to watch our Christmas and end of year productions.
• Pupil Ambassadors visit residents in local care homes

School Performances: Each year the children perform a production at Christmas and at the end of the school year. Our Christmas productions are:

• Reception and Year 1 Nativity
• Y2 performance at Oakwood Clocktower for the Big Christmas Light Switch On
• KS2 production of a Christmas themed show

At the end of each year, Year 6 children perform a production of a musical.

Oracy Projects:

In the summer term, all children take part in an oracy project designed to improve oracy skills and provide an opportunity for children to present their skills to an audience. Examples of projects include:

• The Big Bad Wolf’s trial
• A speech about a current news event
• A recital of a poem
• A presentation on an subject of interest
• A debate

On the Radio:

Children in Year 5 have an opportunity to create a radio show for Roundhay Radio. Children work in small groups to produce their radio show which can include interviews, music, quizzes and much more.

Curriculum themed days/weeks:  

Throughout the year, children take part in a variety of themed days  or weeks linked to various areas of the curriculum. Each class takes part in an Inspire Day focusing on an inspirational part of the curriculum. Parents are invited in to school to work alongside their child and see first hand how their child engages with learning. Each year, a subject is chosen as the focus of our Curriculum Day/Week. Children take part in a range of lessons and activities to raise the profile of this area of the curriculum and foster children’s enthusiasm and excitement for it. In the past, we have had Curriculum Days/Weeks focused on maths, science and DT.

Raising Aspirations Week:

Raising Aspirations Week takes place towards the end of the summer term. The aim of this week is for children to recognise their achievements from the past year and set goals and ambitions for the year ahead. Throughout this week we encourage children to think positively about their futures and offer opportunities for them to hear from older children and adults who have achieved amazing things in their lives from competing in sporting events for Great Britain to working as a surgeon for Leeds Teaching Hospitals. We encourage the children to ‘reach for the stars’ and set their sights high – always striving for excellence and being the best that they can be!

Fitness in Five Week takes place in Summer 2. Throughout the week the children take part in a wide range of sports and physical activities from salsa dancing and yoga to running a daily mile and playing rounders. The children are given opportunities to try new and different forms of exercise. Children also take part in classroom based lessons where they learn about other ways to stay fit and healthy including eating a healthy diet, having a positive mindset and avoiding harmful substances. Each year, Fitness in Five Week culminates in Sports Day where the children compete in teams in a variety of games and activities.

In First Aid Week, children in all year groups learn an area of basic first aid from applying bandages to understanding what to do if someone has a serious head injury. The children also learn how and when to make a 999 call.

Coinciding with National Safer Internet Day, the children take part in a series of lessons focusing on staying safe online. E-safety lessons are taught regularly throughout the school year as part of our computing and Strength of Character curriculums, however Safer Internet Week is an opportunity for us to come together as a school to consider some of the dangers being online can pose, how to stay safe online and what to do if you are worried or need help. During this week, whole school assemblies focus on e-safety and children take part in additional lessons and talk time sessions in their classes.

National Anti-Bullying Week usually takes place in the Autumn term. The aim of this week is to teach children what bullying is and what to do if they or someone that they know is being bullied. During this week, whole school assemblies focus on the different types of bullying and what help and support is available. The children take part in Strength of Character lessons and talk time sessions on bullying in their classes.

Visits & Residentials: 

In each year group, children will attend at least 1 educational visit off-site. Trips are linked to a specific area of the curriculum and are carefully planned and designed to enrich the children’s learning in this area. Educational visitors are also invited in to school. EYFS – Roundhay Park castle Year 1 – Yorkshire Wildlife Park Year 2 – Wonderdome (in school visitor) and Knell Bank Year 3 – Murton Park (Stone Age Experience) and Magna Year 4 – Murton Park (Romans Experience) and Whitby Year 5 – Wonderdome (in school visitor) and Residential Year 6 – Eden Camp In Year 5, children are given the opportunity to attend a 3 day residential at Weardale Adventure Centre. Weardale offers fun and learning in an area of outstanding natural beauty in County Durham. The children take part in a range of activities including: canoeing, archery, rock climbing, abseiling, river walks, high ropes courses and caving. The experienced and qualified team at Weardale ensure that the children create memories that last a lifetime in a safe and friendly environment.

Children at Roundhay experience a wide range of exciting opportunities and activities as part of our Wider Curriculum subjects. These activities help to ‘bring learning to life’ and enable children to know more and remember more. In the words of our Pupil Ambassadors “Learning at Roundhay is always fun and the teachers work hard to make learning stick.” Some examples of these Wider Curriculum opportunities are listed below:

• Black History Month celebrations
• Going on a Suffragettes march
• Creating and visiting a museum in our school library
• Visits from experts
• Hunting for fossils
• Entering Tutankhamun’s tomb
• Building models of London’s houses and watching them burn in The Great Fire of London
• Swimming
• Bikeability
• DT showcase
• Roundhay Rocks showcase
• Hatching ducklings

Extra-Curricular Clubs:

We offer a range of extra-curricular activities for children in all year groups from sports and performing arts to forest school and craft clubs. During the school day, children in some year groups have the opportunity to attend break and lunch time clubs. These clubs include (but are not limited to): craft club, forest school club, multi-sports club, chess club and French club. Children also have the opportunity to attend clubs and activities after school including Foot-Tech Academy, multi-sports, netball, football, choir, performing arts and dance. Some of these after school activities are provided by external agencies, please speak to the school office for more information.

At Roundhay, we actively encourage all children to ‘find their voice’ and strive to ensure that the children’s thoughts, views and opinions shape the learning experiences and opportunities that we provide. Throughout their time at the Primary Campus, the children have several opportunities to work alongside the Senior Leadership Team and have an integral role in leading the school in our mission of ‘striving for excellence’.

The Junior Leadership Team (JLT) is comprised of children in Year 6 and consists of a range of roles and responsibilities for leading different parts of school or areas of the curriculum. Children apply for a role on the JLT by submitting a letter of application to the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). They are then invited to interview for their preferred role where they are required to give a presentation as to why they would be the best candidate. The application and interview process encourages the children to develop their oracy skills and allows them to demonstrate their passion and commitment to the school, as well as teaching them an important life lesson. Successful candidates work alongside members of the school’s Leadership Team and Senior Leadership Team in order to: plan and organise events, take part in monitoring and assessment of their curriculum area/key stage, promote the school at events such as the new EYFS parents meeting, support teaching and learning across the school and be role models for others.

The Pupil Ambassadors are a group of elected children from Year 2 to Year 5. 2 children from each class are voted to represent their class on the team. The Pupil Ambassadors meet regularly throughout the school year to: discuss whole school events linked to personal development such as Anti-Bullying Week and Raising Aspirations Week, share pupil voice ideas and suggestions and discuss our Strength of Character Curriculum to ensure that it is regularly updated and fit for purpose, meeting the needs of all children. The Pupil Ambassadors also share messages with the whole school and make links with our local community. They take part in whole-school assemblies and Strength of Character lessons and are pen-pals with 2 local care homes, writing termly letters to the residents.

Forest School:

At the Primary Campus, we are extremely fortunate to have a large, natural site which consists of several areas perfect for forest school. Children take part in forest school sessions throughout the school year. Forest school sessions help to develop: self awareness, empathy, social skills, communication skills, independence, self esteem and confidence and physical development including both fine and gross motor skills. Our forest school curriculum teaches children a range of experiences including:

• tree and plant identification
• knot tying
• den building
• whittling

In addition to these specific forest school experiences, forest school sessions include opportunities for children to explore reading and writing in a different environment and develop their oracy skills through activities such as storytelling, poetry, song writing and much, much more. Staff are encouraged to use the forest school area across the curriculum and take learning outside where possible.

British Values

In June 2014 David Cameron spoke about the important role of British values in our education system. How well schools promote such values are now part of the Ofsted inspection process. The promotion of British values is not something new to our curriculum at Roundhay. Such values are at the core of all we do whether it be through our assemblies, our RE curriculum, our Relationships and Sex Education, PSHE lessons or through other areas of the curriculum. The term British values can be somewhat misleading as these values are integral to so many countries across the world.

Being Part of Britain – WE CELEBRATE DIVERSITY 

Our curriculum reflects, celebrates and teaches children about diversity. For example, in RE children learn about the four main religions of Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Hinduism. They compare and contrast marriage customs and naming ceremony customs, for example, and have opportunities to visit different places of worship. Throughout the year we celebrate being part of Britain. In general terms this means we celebrate events such as Christmas, Harvest, Mothering Sunday, Remembrance Day. In addition, we always take part in key British events. For such events we hold parades, tea parties, concerts and do additional curriculum classroom work about how such events relate to being British.

Democracy

The annual election and work of our Junior Leadership Team (JLT) reflects British democracy. Our JLT is very proactive in having its voice heard. Recent work has included deciding upon Good to be Green events, creating the Anti-Bullying Charter and creating their own key areas of development in school. In addition, the JLT are going to organise our charity work throughout the year. This includes fun days such as Odd Socks Day for the Anti-Bullying Alliance, Red Nose Day as well as supporting Barnados. This fostering of a commitment to charities is another way in which we teach a sense of Britishness.

Rules and Laws

Children are taught the importance of rules and laws and how the ones in school reflect those in our country. Children are taught the reasons behind rules and that they are there to keep us safe and happy. Each class has its own code of conduct and positive behaviour reinforcements are operated throughout the school. Visits form authority figures in society such as the fire brigade, the local community police officers, doctors, dentists, nurses, MPs and governors demonstrate to children how rules and laws are an integral part of a safe and happy Britain.

Individual Liberty

Alongside rules and laws, we promote freedom of choice and the right to respectfully express our views and beliefs as an integral part of what it is to be British. Children may choose to take part in our very wide range of extra curricular activities. They have a very broad choice of lunchtime play areas and activities. They are involved in their own learning and respond to their learning by feedback systems and self review of marking. They are taught how to use their choices and freedoms safely through our curriculum in areas such as e-safety, anti-bullying, sex and relationship education and drugs awareness education.

Mutual Respect and Tolerance

Roundhay is a wonderfully culturally diverse school with a highly regarded inclusive ethos and practice. We are a microcosm of British society and we celebrate this. Our children are taught and know how to show respect to everyone no matter what our differences may be. We celebrate this diversity in our curriculum. Examples include our celebrations of different religious festivals throughout the year, the participation of all our children, including those with a disability, in all our curriculum activities and the regular staff training we undertake to ensure this inclusive practice remains integral to our work. Behaviours which are contrary to these British values are actively challenged, whether they come from children, parents or staff. Such instances are extremely rare in school and we are proud of the reputation we have in our local community.