Personal Development - Learning for Life

The implementation of this curriculum is detailed in the document below.

Learning For Life Curriculum

Character Education

Learning for Life Days

At Penwortham Priory Academy there are five Learning for Life Days dedicated to allocated topics and content directed by the PSHE Association. This curriculum helps pupils to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to manage life’s challenges and make the most of life’s opportunities. 

Through Learning for Life Days, pupils will again transition from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3 smoothly, building on prior knowledge and skills at Key Stage 2. 

Pupils are provided with challenging topics and meaningful learning experiences which can be applied to their own lives in a timely way. Challenging and thought-provoking learning experiences help pupils think hard to gain a better understanding of different aspects of life in order to address teenage pregnancy, substance misuse, unhealthy eating, lack of physical activity, emotional health, different aspects of relationships and other key issues. Priory’s Learning for Life Days’ programme tackles barriers to learning, raises aspirations and improves the life chances of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils. 

To be successful independent learners, pupils are given regular opportunities to reflect on and identify what they have learned, what needs to be learned next and what they need to do to continue their learning. The personal nature of Learning for Life Day education means that progress cannot be assessed in the same way as most other subjects and it would be inappropriate for assessment in Learning for Life education to imply passing or failing ‘as a person’. It is however possible to recognise and evidence progress and attainment in the knowledge, understanding, skills and attributes Learning for Life Days strive to develop. This is monitored through whiteboard activities, mind mapping and through PLCs. Online assessments are completed to allow planning staff to monitor whole cohort's level of understanding, to inform revisions to be made.

Pupils are continually required to think hard in lessons using ‘higher order’ skills such as analysis and evaluation. This element of their learning is addressed through the continual analysis and evaluation of their own lives and that of others, planning and implementing new strategies, creating a new way of conducting themselves. 

The Learning for Life curriculum on these days encourages pupils to develop skills for life which they can employ now or in the future. Pupils gain knowledge regarding a number of different life aspects, they discuss their current experience of each where appropriate, they develop an understanding of how to move forward in the future in a beneficial way to themselves and others and are assisted in identifying opportunities that are easy to engage with now. 

High quality guidance in the ‘Life beyond Priory’ unit provides impartial guidance regarding educational pathways and methods for successfully achieving future course and career goals. This supplements learning in Learning for Life Road Map lessons and other Gatsby experiences the school provides. 

Throughout their time in Learning for Life Days pupils are encouraged to evolve their character and improve the culture of our school. They are encouraged to adopt positive behaviours and attitudes in class which benefit them personally and the rest of the school community. They are encouraged to be positive, committed, respectful, kind, courteous, well mannered, safe, calm, orderly and take pride in themselves, their work and our school. Pupils albeit well integrated in terms of personal characteristics, still have sessions to appreciate aspects of gender, beliefs and disability. 

The resources created by staff or sourced from reputable organisations are designed to provide high quality personal development education which should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills they need now and in the future. As pupils progress, they should be able to apply the knowledge gained to a greater extent to their own lives and see a greater impact. 

Knowledge underpins the Learning for Life Days’ curriculum, therefore whilst we teach different aspects of the curriculum, we apply what we have learnt in very varied, personal, current and new situations. Pupils are to be given an overview of their learning journey at the start of their unit of work so that they know what they’ll be learning, the skills they’ll develop, why they need to know this and how they’ll learn it. This will be provided in the form of the personal learning checklist (PLC) and will help them understand the Learning for Life Days’ schema and helps them understand how this subject links to others. 

The Learning for Life Days’ curriculum is sequenced internally to build on existing knowledge and skills, and incrementally develop new knowledge of new skills required for the current point of their life journey. The NHS SHNA survey report at the start of Year 9 also provides direction as to what needs to be taught when for our pupils. Pupils understand the sequence and what they’re required to learn as a result of using the PLCs. Spaced retrieval, repeated practice, self-evaluation, sharing experiences, discussion of strategies and discussion of application to one's own life, are used to ensure that Learning for Life Days’ concepts are understood and knowledge remembered.  During class discussion, pupils analyse their own life and that of others, and we place emphasis on the acquisition of Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary. Modelling and explaining this vocabulary in our teaching. 

Year 7

Pupils will learn about: 

• Healthy Lifestyles 
• Self-concept 
• Medical Care 
• Social Influences 
• Financial Choices 

Year 8

Pupils will learn about:

• Mind Development 
• Media literacy and Digital Resilience 
• Diversity and Equality – Disabilities 
• Diversity and Equality – Beliefs 
• Democracy and Community

Year 9

Pupils will learn about:

• Positive Relationships 
• Diversity and Equality – Gender 
• Addiction – Knowledge 
• Intimate Relationships – Consent 
• Sexual Health - Prevent 

Year 10

Pupils will learn about:

• Unhealthy Relationships 
• Addiction – Impact 
• Pregnancy  
• Life Beyond Priory (Pathways and Futures) 
• Personal Safety – Driving. Gangs. 

Year 11

Pupils will learn about:

• My Money – Money Management 
• Financing Life – House to car 
• Health Related Decisions 
• The Law Home and Abroad

All schemes of learning include information regarding sources of information, guidance and support.

The implementation of this curriculum is detailed in the documents below.

Learning for Life Days

Learning for Life Period 6

At Penwortham Priory Academy there is a 20 minute session each day where we focus on other aspects of learning other than the main curriculum areas.

The carousel timetable for all years is detailed in the ‘Learning for Life Curriculum’ document below.

The three main foci are: Everybody Reading, Assembly, Learning for Life.

Everybody Reading:

Details are available on the Everybody Reading page.

Assemblies and Learning for Life sessions contribute to the culture and character development of our pupils.

Assemblies:

Assemblies are an important aspect of school life. They provide an opportunity to highlight and reinforce the value, standards and expectations here at Priory. They are an occasion to reflect, reinforce the theme of the week, celebrate successes, introduce pupils to national awareness weeks, new ideas and concepts and come together as a school community. Assemblies provide another opportunity to make pupil and staff reflect and think.

Details of our assembly programme are detailed in the  ‘Learning for Life Curriculum’ document below

Common elements across assembly and L4L P6 sessions:

• Priory Standards and School Culture Reminder – This occurs at the start of every term across all years
• School Culture Term Focus ‘Them and Us’ – There is a focus week every term – There will be an assembly on each strand in this week. One week of content will occur in the same week in Learning for Life Period 6.  We will focus on Culture strands - Kindness, Respect, Safe from harm. This is a different set of sessions per year group and scaffolded.
• Healthy School Week – Physical and Mental Health and Wellbeing - There is a focus week every term – One week of content will focus on three different aspects of health and will cover Physical Health, Mental Health and Healthy Eating. This is currently the same content every year as a reminder. This will be scaffolded in future years.

Common elements across assembly and L4L Day sessions:

• School Culture Term Focus ‘Them and Us’ - Kindness, Respect, Safe from harm
• Healthy School Week – Physical and Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Future Pathways and Careers
• Citizenship and Fundamental British Values

Learning for Life Sessions:

Through Learning for Life Days, pupils will again transition from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3 smoothly, building on prior knowledge and skills at Key Stage 2. 

Year 7

Pupils are engaging in a Gateway to Priory curriculum to assist in their understanding of our systems and processes, to instil confidence, independence and resilience. It also acts as a base in fostering great personal characteristics and school culture, planning correctly for the future, and starting to look at aspiration.

Years 8 to 11

Pupils will have a half term focus on physical and mental health and wellbeing (green), and half a term on Future Pathways and Careers yellow). The latter links with the school’s aims, provides focus for the future and inevitably greater engagement with subjects they study. Our previous Year 11s told us they would have appreciated more of this.

Pupils are provided with a number of challenging topics and meaningful learning experiences which can be applied to their own lives in a timely way. Challenging and thought-provoking learning experiences help pupils think hard to gain a better understanding of different aspects of life in order to address teenage pregnancy, substance misuse, unhealthy eating, lack of physical activity, emotional health, different aspects of relationships and other key issues. Priory’s Learning for Life Period 6 programme tackles barriers to learning, raises aspirations and improves the life chances of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils. 

To be successful independent learners, pupils are given regular opportunities to reflect on and identify what they have learned, what needs to be learned next and what they need to do to continue their learning. The personal nature of Learning for Life education means that progress cannot be assessed in the same way as most other subjects and it would be inappropriate for assessment in Learning for Life education to imply passing or failing ‘as a person’. It is however possible to recognise and evidence progress and attainment in the knowledge, understanding, skills and attributes Learning for Life strive to develop. This is monitored through whiteboard activities, mind mapping and through PLCs.

Pupils are continually required to think hard in lessons using ‘higher order’ skills such as analysis and evaluation. This element of their learning is addressed through the continual analysis and evaluation of their own lives and that of others, planning and implementing new strategies, creating a new way of conducting themselves. 

The Learning for Life curriculum in these sessions encourages pupils to develop skills for life which they can employ now or in the future. Pupils gain knowledge regarding a number of different life aspects, they discuss their current experience of each where appropriate, they develop an understanding of how to move forward in the future in a beneficial way to themselves and others and are assisted in identifying opportunities that are easy to engage with now. 

High quality guidance in the Pathways and Futures units provide impartial guidance regarding educational pathways and methods for successfully achieving future course and career goals. This supplements learning in Year 10 Learning for Life Day 4 and other Gatsby experiences the school provides. 

Throughout their time in Learning for Life sessions pupils are encouraged to evolve their character and improve the culture of our school. They are encouraged to adopt positive behaviours and attitudes in class which benefit them personally and the rest of the school community. They are encouraged to be positive, committed, respectful, kind, courteous, well mannered, safe, calm, orderly and take pride in themselves, their work and our school. Pupils albeit well integrated in terms of personal characteristics, still have sessions to appreciate respect for those different to them. 

The resources are sourced from PiXL or created by staff or sourced from reputable organisations are designed to provide high quality personal development education which should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills they need now and in the future. As pupils progress, they should be able to apply the knowledge gained to a greater extent to their own lives and see a greater impact. 

Knowledge underpins the Learning for Life Period 6’ curriculum, therefore whilst we teach different aspects of the curriculum, we apply what we have learnt in very varied, personal, current and new situations. Pupils are to be given an overview of their learning journey at the start of their unit of work so that they know what they’ll be learning, the skills they’ll develop, why they need to know this and how they’ll learn it. This will be provided in the form of the personal learning checklist (PLC) and will help them understand the Learning for Life Period 6’ schema and helps them understand how this subject links to others. 

The Learning for Life Period 6’ curriculum is sequenced internally to build on existing knowledge and skills, and incrementally develop new knowledge of new skills required for the current point of their life journey. The NHS SHNA survey report at the start of Year 9 also provides direction as to what needs to be taught when for our pupils regarding health and wellbeing. Pupils understand the sequence and what they’re required to learn as a result of using the PLCs. Spaced retrieval, repeated practice, self-evaluation, sharing experiences, discussion of strategies and discussion of application to one's own life, are used to ensure that Learning for Life Period 6’ concepts are understood and knowledge remembered.  During class discussion, pupils analyse their own life and that of others, and we place emphasis on the acquisition of Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary. Modelling and explaining this vocabulary in our teaching. 

This curriculum is detailed in the ‘Learning for Life Curriculum’ document below.

Learning For Life Curriculum

Assemblies

Assemblies at Priory operate on a carousel every week to allow each year group the opportunity to use the formal assembly space once a week. The start of each half term is led by the Head of Year and focuses on expectations and standards for the forthcoming weeks. The final assembly of every half term is a celebration event to reward pupils for their efforts in the last few weeks. In between these there is a set programme of assemblies for Years 7 to 10 focusing on National Awareness days, charities, and other Learning for Life themes. Year 11 have a more dynamic approach to assemblies to deliver themes which are pertinent to exams, college applications and well-being. Guest speakers and colleges are often invited in, hence there is no fixed calendar of events.

Assemblies

Reading

Please visit Everybody's Reading.

 

At Priory we have a Citizenship programme which runs every afternoon in half term 6 for Year 7 to 10 and half term 3 for Year 11. 

Citizenship sessions are important for several key reasons, as it helps young people develop a better understanding of their rights, responsibilities, and roles within society. Here's why it's such a valuable subject:

1. Promotes Active Citizenship

• Engagement in Society: Citizenship education encourages pupils to take an active interest in their community, democracy, and the political process. It helps pupils understand how government works, how decisions are made, and how they can influence those decisions through voting or other forms of participation.

• Informed Voting: By learning about political systems, voting rights, and how to engage in civic life, pupils become more informed voters when they reach voting age, making them better equipped to contribute to society's decision-making process.

2. Develops Critical Thinking and Debate Skills

• Citizenship education often involves discussions about ethical issues, social justice, and current events. This helps pupils develop their critical thinking and debating skills, encouraging them to think critically about the world around them, consider multiple perspectives, and form well-reasoned opinions.

3. Fosters Tolerance and Respect

• Cultural Awareness: Citizenship education encourages pupils to understand and respect diversity, whether it’s related to race, religion, gender, or culture. By learning about different viewpoints, students are better able to live harmoniously in a multicultural society.

• Combatting Prejudice and Discrimination: It helps address issues of prejudice and discrimination by promoting empathy, respect, and understanding, creating a more inclusive and cohesive society.

4. Encourages Social Responsibility

• Citizenship education emphasises the importance of individual and collective responsibility. Pupils learn about their role in society, not just as individuals, but as part of a wider community. They are encouraged to consider how their actions impact others and to contribute positively to the community through volunteering, environmental sustainability, or activism.

5. Understanding Legal Rights and Responsibilities

• Pupils gain a better understanding of their rights (e.g., legal rights, human rights, freedom of speech) and responsibilities (e.g., obeying the law, respecting others' rights) within the UK. This knowledge empowers young people to make informed decisions in their personal lives and to understand the consequences of their actions within society.

6. Preparation for Life Beyond School

• Citizenship education prepares pupils for life in the real world. It teaches skills such as how to engage with the media, understand economic systems, navigate the justice system, and deal with issues such as conflict resolution, making it highly relevant to everyday life.

• It also helps pupils understand global issues, including human rights, environmental challenges, and international relations, fostering a sense of global citizenship.

7. Supports the Development of Personal Identity

• Learning about citizenship can help pupils develop a sense of personal and national identity, as they explore their role within a democratic society. This can be especially important in fostering pride in their heritage and a sense of belonging to both local and global communities.

8. Strengthens Democracy

• A well-informed citizenry is essential for the health of any democracy. By teaching pupils about democratic principles, human rights, and how to critically assess political information, Citizenship education helps build a stronger, more engaged democracy in the UK.

9. Compliance with National Curriculum

• In the UK, Citizenship education is part of the national curriculum, making it a required subject for secondary school pupils. This ensures that all students receive a basic understanding of their role in society, regardless of their personal background or interests.

Citizenship sessions at Priory equip pupils with the knowledge, skills, and values they need to be responsible, informed, and active members of society, which is essential for the functioning and progress of democratic communities like the UK.

Citizenship Provision

Visiting Speakers, Workshops and Performances

The school also provides regular additional activities, workshops and lectures from visiting performance groups and speakers to support their social, moral, spiritual and cultural development, Pathways and Futures understanding and awareness of the Fundamental British Values. In recent months we have had assemblies from:

• Lancashire Fire and Rescue - Water Safety - Whole School
• Lancashire Fire and Rescue - Bonfire Night Safety and the Law - Whole School
• Stand Against Violence - Domestic Violence - Whole School
• We are with you - Organisation who support youngsters at risk from a mental health, sexual activity, addictive substances - Year 10
• The Royal Volunteering Service - Year 10 
• Bikeability - Group of Year 7 Cyclists - Annual

• CREATE Education - 3D Printing Workshops

Pathways and Futures

• Languages Careers Day - A number of employers, training providers and HE departments - Year 9
• STEAM Careers Fair - A number of employers, training providers, FE and HE departments - Whole School
• BAE Systems -  Year 10 and 11 Engineering
• National Grid - Year 10 Engineering
• Colleges - Preston College, Cardinal Newman College, Runshaw College
• Leyland Trucks Apprenticeship Talk Year 10 and 11
• Preston College Aerospace Trip Year 10

Enrichment Opportunities

Enrichment at Penwortham Priory Academy provides pupils with opportunities to go beyond the standard curriculum, aiming to broaden their knowledge, skills and experiences. These enrichment activities take various forms, including extracurricular clubs,  House competitions, field trips, guest speakers and award programmes tailored to our pupils’ experiences, interests and talents.

At Priory we endeavour to provide opportunities which cater to diverse interests and learning styles, allowing our pupils to explore subjects in greater depth or discover new passions outside the regular classroom setting.

Our enrichment activities also foster critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and problem solving skills, which are essential for success in the modern world. By engaging in hands-on projects, research endeavours or community volunteering initiatives, our pupils can apply their classroom knowledge to real-world challenges, making their learning more meaningful and relevant.

Our enrichment provision contributes to a well-rounded education by nurturing pupils’ social and emotional development. Through interactions with peers, staff, other adults and experts in various fields students learn valuable communication skills empathy and resilience preparing them to navigate an increasingly interconnected and complex society.

Penwortham Priory Academy provides the following activities:

Extra-Curricular Clubs: Each department runs at least one extra-curricular activity, to ensure we have activities that appeal to a range of interests. The timetable for this can be found in the document below.

House Competitions: Each faculty holds a house competition once a term. These are supplemented by other fun House Competitions provided by the House Leaders. House Leader Competitions usually link to the School Culture Focus of the Term or the Health Focus of the Term.

Field Trips: A number of subjects have field trips as part of their studies. These are included in the document below.

Guest Speakers: We invite experts in to discuss their field with our pupils. These individuals share their expertise to inspire our pupils through talks or workshops.

• English – Author Ruth Eastham
• Art - Artists – Gavin Renshaw, Toya Walker, Stephen Asbury
• Engineering – National Grid, Stephen Ward
• Engineering – BAE Systems Apprentice

Specialised Programmes: We provide a number of specialised programmes to meet the unique needs of interests of students:

• Music Peripatetic Lessons
• Young Sports Leaders
• Peer Mentors
• Duke of Edinburgh Award
• PiXL Edge Award
• Priory Plus Award
• Risk It

Volunteering: Where possible we engage with the local community in volunteering projects or volunteering opportunities to instil values of empathy social responsibility and engagement:

• Bulb and Tree planting with Hurst Grange Park Volunteers
• Bamber Bridge Football Club
• Penwortham Arts Centre
• Preston Homeless Centre
• Birthday cards for locals in rest homes.
• Choir Christmas Carols in rest homes and supermarkets

Work Experience: We facilitate one week of work experience for our Year 10 pupils with local businesses and organisations to provide real world exposure and career exploration opportunities. In addition, pupils can be released for two days to work with the National Grid, or for other activities which will lead to future career opportunities in fields such as sport or acting.

Cultural Experiences: At Priory we celebrate diversity and cultural heritage through our annual Culture Week. Our Japanese Club learn language skills and about the culture. Pupils did so also in the previously run Korean Club.  

Enrichment Opportunities