Welcome to Personal Development

Personal Development

At Meden School Personal Development gives ours students the opportunity to explore a wide variety of topics that are important to them on a local, national and international scale. Students are taught these topics in tutorial sessions. All students have 70 minutes a week (2 x 35min sessions) focused on our personal develop curriculum.

What have the students been studying this last half term?

This will be updated throughout the year where students will videocast what they have learnt and how they will apply their learning. - September 2025

Curriculum

Our Personal Development Curriculum encompasses the following (Please see side menu for more details):

  • SMSC
  • Citizenship
  • Core British Values
  • RSHE
  • PSHE
  • Financial Education

At Meden School, our Personal Development curriculum underpins our school values of aspiration, excellence, and achieve. Our ambition is to develop students who understand how to be safe and happy, whilst also appreciating the challenges of the world around them. This includes challenging misconceptions, stereotypes and inequalities of the wider world. Students will become confident in their own voice by using oracy strategies which are embedded into the Personal Development curriculum. ​

Our Personal Development lessons teach our students core knowledge and understanding that will allow them to live healthy, fulfilled lives. The lessons have been sequenced as such to develop student knowledge throughout all key stages of their time at Meden School.

Below is information about our curriculum. Each drop down box contains the topics we cover. For more detail on the knowledge we teach, please click on each medium term plan. Our curriculum map shows the learning journey that our students embark upon.

Key Stage 3

In Year 7, students study the following topics of the Relationships and Sex Education curriculum, :

How does the law impact upon relationships?

  • Marriage 
  • Hate Crimes
  • Sexting

What are respectful relationships?

  • Positive and healthy friendships
  • Types of bullying
  • Different ethic, national and religious identities

Intimate and sexual relationships. Health and Wellbeing

  • Characteristics and positives of one-to-one relationships
  • Exercise and mental health
  • Puberty and emotional changes including menstrual wellbeing

Online and the Media. LQBTQ rights and issues

  • Rights, responsibilities and opportunities online
  • Challenging homophobia
  • Physical Health: dental and sun safety

Being safe and how the UK works

  • Forced marriage
  • Honour-based violence
  • Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
  • Why is community important?

Families

  • Roles and responsibilities of parents in bringing up children
  • Dealing with bereavement
  • First aid

Students also study the following topics from the Personal, Social, Health and Economic curriculum:

  • Democracy

Year 7 MTP 1

Year 7 MTP 2

Year 7 MTP 3

Year 7 MTP 4

Year 7 MTP 5

Year 7 MTP 6

In Year 8, students study the following topics from the PD curriculum:

How does the law impact on relationships?

  • Sexuality and sexual orientation
  • Gender identity
  • Criminal exploitation
  • FGM (Female Genital Mutilation)

Citizenship

  • Democracy

PSHE

  • Dangers of alcohol and smoking

What are respectful relationships?

  • Respect and tolerance
  • Who can be impacted by a lack of respect and tolerance
  • Equality in Britain

Intimate and sexual relationship

  • Peer pressure (including gambling)
  • Sexting

Health and wellbeing

  • Mental health issues
  • Puberty and emotional changes

Online and media 

  • Online risks
  • How is information and data shared and used online?

LQBTQ rights and issues

  • Challenging homophobia

Being safe

  • Emotional abuse
  • Physical and sexual abuse

The UK

  • How can you contribute to the wider community?

Families

  • Trustworthiness

PSHE

  • First aid
  • Dealing with bereavement

Year 8 MTP 1

Year 8 MTP 2

Year 8 MTP 3

Year 8 MTP 4

Year 8 MTP 5

Year 8 MTP 6

In Year 9, students study the following topics from the PD curriculum:

How does the law impact on relationships?

  • Dangers of pornography
  • Violence against women and girls
  • Consent
  • Law in the UK
  • Law and the use and misuse of legal and illegal substances

What are respectful relationships?

  • Ending a relationship
  • Managing conflict
  • Contraception
  • Holding those in power to account

Intimate and sexual relationships

  • Positive relationships
  • Intimacy in relationships

Health and wellbeing

  • Mental health and wellbeing
  • Puberty and emotional changes

Online and media

  • Sharing material with others online

LQGTQ issues

  • Coming out in sport
  • Gender neutral fashion

Being safe

  • Sexual consent
  • Sexual exploitation

UK Law

  • The rule of law

Families

  • Marriage
  • Long term relationships
  • The rule of law and wellbeing and safety

PSHE

  • First aid

Year 9 MTP 1

Year 9 MTP 2

Year 9 MTP 3

Year 9 MTP 4

Year 9 MTP 5

Year 9 MTP 6

Key Stage 4

In Year 10, students study the following topics:

  • Substance misuse and the issues it can cause
  • Criminal gangs and exploitation of children
  • The positives and negatives of democracy in the UK

What are respectful relationships?

  • Sexual harassment
  • Criminal relationships
  • Britain's relationship with the EU
  • Britain's relationship with the UN

Intimate and Sexual Relationships

  • Pregnancy as a significant life choice
  • Fertility and routes to parenthood

Health and Wellbeing

  • Puberty and emotional changes
  • Addictive behaviours (social media and gaming)

Online and Media

  • Impacts of viewing harmful content
  • Relationships and our health
  • STIs

LQBTQ Right and Issues

  • LQBTQ+ History Month
  • LGBTQ+ community and discrimination

Being safe and how the UK works

  • Sexual encounters and assumptions
  • Communication, respect and consent
  • Influencing decision-making through democratic process
  • Cosmetic and aesthetic procedures - the risks

Families

  • Committed relationships - happiness, healthy and unhealthy relationships
  • Domestic violence
  • First aid

Year 10 MTP 1

Year 10 MTP 2

Year 10 MTP 3

Year 10 MTP 4

Year 10 MTP 5

Year 10 MTP 6

In Year 11, students study the following topics from the Relationships and Sex Education curriculum:

  • Abortion
  • The dangers of extremism and radicalisation in the UK
  • Types of government around the world
  • Stereotypes and relationships
  • The media and relationships
  • Pornography and damage to relationships
  • Cultural harmony and its importance
  • Britain's relationship with the Commonwealth

Intimate and Sexual Relationships

  • Contraception
  • STIs and fertility
  • Consent

Health and Wellbeing

  • First Aid

Online and Media

  • Binge drinking
  • Smoking
  • E-cigarettes
  • Staying healthy - using the NHS

Year 11 MTP 1

Year 11 MTP 2

Year 11 MTP3

Year 11 MTP 4

Key Stage 5 (College)

In Year 12, students study the following topics:

Personal Finance:

  • Taxes and the UK
  • Banks, Building Societies and Money
  • Types of Employment
  • P45 and P60
  • Different types of debt
  • Income and State benefits
  • Role of Trade unions & Employment Rights
  • Types of Insurance and Assurance

Health & Wellbeing:

  • Exploring Heath & Wellbeing
  • Cholesterol Levels & Healthy Consumption
  • Vaccinations & Immunity
  • Healthy Eating Habits
  • Dental Hygiene and Tooth decay
  • Exploring Different Eating Disorders
  • Managing stress in daily situations and school

Health, Safety & Diversity: 

  • Diversity and Equality in the UK
  • Toxic Masculinity & men
  • Knife Crime and Society
  • Managing my Anger and frustrations
  • How is Cancer diagnosed?
  • Medical Ethics & Blood donations

Drugs & Risk Education

  • Alcohol Safety
  • Substance misuse
  • Drugs and their effects
  • Synthetic Cannabinoids
  • England and Wales drug classifications
  • LSD Explored
  • MDMA and Ecstasy Explored (Drug user  Documentaries)

Positive Wellbeing 

  • Dealing with Depression
  • Stress and Exam Performance
  • Dealing with anxiety
  • Fears, Phobias and Anxiety
  • Sleep hygiene and mental health
  • Promoting emotional wellbeing
  • Resilience and growing up

Destinations: 

  • Introduction to Careers – “What is your dream job?”
  • How do we define a “good job”?
  • Labour Market Information (LMI)
  • Unifrog
  • Researching your next steps
  • Personal Statements
  • Transferrable Skills
  • Finding a job
  • Social Media and Employment
  • LinkedIn
  • Networking
  • Volunteering
  • Work Experience
  • Preparing for Work Experience
  • Work Experience Placement
  • University Assessment Approaches
  • New Uni, Red Brick, Russell Group & Oxbridge
  • UCAS Application

 

In Year 13, students study the following topics:

 Personal Finance:

  • Payment methods used in the UK
  • Managing a household budget game 
  • Borrowing money and the risks
  • Value for money and Making more of it
  • Going abroad and understanding foreign currency
  • Inflation and our pockets
  • Calculating foreign exchange rates

Emotional Wellbeing : 

  • Causes of Mental Health
  • Looking after yourself first
  • Importance of Physical health & Exercise
  • Improving body image & Exploring Appearance ideals
  • Stress and Life Events, exercise and Sleep
  • Striking a balance in life

Relationships & Sex Education:

  • Porn and its impact on society
  • Fertility and what impacts it
  • Alcohol and Bad Choices
  • Importance of  Sexual Health
  • Revisiting contraception
  • STIs
  • Respect & Relationships
  • (Menstrual Charting)

Drugs & Risk Education:

  • Drug classifications and groups
  • Festivals, drugs and Nitrous Oxide
  • Cannabis products explored
  • The War on Drugs
  • New Psychoactive Substances – NPS Drugs
  • GHB the date Rape Drug – Beware!

Destinations:

  • Introduction to Careers – “What is your dream job?”
  • How do we define a “good job”?
  • Labour Market Information (LMI)
  • University and Beyond
  • Unifrog
  • UCAS Choose a course
  • UCAS Admissions Tests
  • Interviews
  • Student finance
  • Tracking application
  • Responding to offers
  • Clearing & adjustment
  • Preparing for your studies

KS3 & 4 Personal Development Curriculum Overview

Please click here for the KS3 Personal Development Curriculum Overview

Please click here for the KS4 Personal Development Curriculum Overview

Please click here for more details on our Destinations Curriculum Overview

KS3 & KS4 Financial Education

Maths: 

At key stage 3 finance is taught in mathematics through problem solving, ratios, proportion and rates of change. The programme of study for mathematics identifies the following: Key Stage 3 (11-14 years):

  • students will develop their use of formal mathematical knowledge to interpret and solve problems in financial mathematics
  • use standard units of money including decimal qualities
  • solve problems involving percentage change, including: percentage increase, decrease and original value problems and simple interest in financial mathematics
  • use compound units such as unit pricing to solve problems.
Personal Development & Destinations: 

Throughout the personal development & destinations curriculums the following on finance is covered: 

  • the functions and uses of money, the importance and practice of budgeting and managing risk.
  • about the skills and qualities required to engage in enterprise, including seeing opportunity, managing risk, marketing productivity, understanding the concept of quality, cash flow and profit
  •  to assess and manage risk in relation to financial decisions that young people might make
  •  to explore social and moral dilemmas about the use of money, (including how the choices students make as consumers affect other people’s economies and environments)
Key Stage 3 Financial Education Topics   

All Sessions are based on Barclays Life Skills: Understanding and Managing Money & Taking Control of saving, debt and credit 

Year 7   

  1. Recognising your money personality
  2. Needs and wants
  3. Planning for a big purchase

Click here for session plan 

Year 8   

  1. Making ends meet
  2. Value for money
  3. Managing Money

Click here for session plan 

Year 9 

  1. Opening a bank account 
  2. Reading a bank statement
  3. Savings habits  

Click here for session plan 

 

Maths: 

At key stage 4 finance is taught in mathematics through problem solving, ratios, proportion and rates of change. The programme of study for mathematics identifies the following: Key Stage 4 (14-16 years):

  • students will develop their use of formal mathematical knowledge to interpret and solve problems, including in financial contexts.
Personal Development & Destinations: 

Building on KS3 students will  have the opportunity to learn:

  • about income and expenditure, credit and debt, insurance, saving and pensions, financial products and services, and how public money is raised and spent.
  • to recognise and manage the influences on their financial decisions (including managing risk, planning for expenditure, understanding debt and gambling in all its forms)
  • to be a critical consumer of goods and services (including financial services) and recognise the wider impact of their purchasing choices.
Key Stage 4 Financial Education Sessions: 

All Sessions are based on Barclays Life Skills: Understanding and Managing Money & Taking Control of saving, debt and credit 

Year 10

  1. Fraud and Identity theft
  2. Financial risk and security:  "How risky?"
  3.  Financial risk and security: "Insure or save?"

Click here for session plan 

These topics are delivered via our Money Matters Morning WB: 10th July

Year 11

  1. Budgeting and planning for the future
  2. Savings and Credit
  3. Salaries and Payslips

Click here for session plan 

 

KS5 College Personal Development Curriculum Overview

Please click here for the KS5 college Personal Development Curriculum Overview

Big Conversation Sessions

Our Big Conversation sessions are planned 6 times a year, one each half term. They give our students the opportunity to discuss and debate areas of our personal development curriculum in depth, promoting the development of oracy skills. Our students asked for more discussion opportunities through our student forums. The following areas are planned as foci for the Big Conversation sessions in 2024/25:

  • Addiction - phones and vaping (Term 1)
  • Confidence - strength and courage (Term 2)
  • Anti-social behaviour - riots Vs protests (Term 3)
  • Manipulation (Term 4)
  • Gang culture (Term 5)
  • Extremism (Term 6)

Assemblies at Meden

At Meden assemblies provide us with a fantastic opportunity to build a strong sense of community. They help us reinforce our ethos, our values and our mission statement. We also use our assemblies to complement and emphasise our personal development curriculum.

Click here of our assembly rota and topics covered

At Meden we have redesigned our traditional assemblies to become talk assemblies, where students explore their thinking and ideas around important topics . We don't want our students to sit there listening in silence, we want to involve them. We use assemblies to engage our students in key oracy concepts.

Below is what goes into a talk assembly at Meden:

October 2024

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