Personal Development at Monkston Primary School 

Our dedication to the personal development of pupils is exceptional and goes far beyond the expected. It is coherently planned to significantly strengthen the school’s offer and develops the character of our pupils in an exemplary way through the following ways:

• Leaders and teachers hold a strong focus on our core Monkston values which permeate throughout the school day and the curriculum. As a result, pupils demonstrate exceptionally high standards of behaviour.

• Leaders ensure that the promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development underpins all aspects of children’s learning and their experiences at school. Pupils demonstrate high levels of engagement and enjoyment and positive relationships can be seen throughout the school community.

• Leaders and teachers promote equality of opportunity through the curriculum so that pupils understand difference as a positive and that individual characteristics make people unique. Through a coherently sequenced RSE programme of learning, pupils are taught about protected characteristics and are shown how to be tolerant and respectful of others.

• Leaders focus on improving pupils’ mental health through a systematic approach to teaching, which is supported by regular assemblies and a termly ‘feelings week’, which results in pupils feeling supported and resilient in their learning.

• Online safety and teaching our pupils about risks in an integral part of our computing curriculum and ensures that pupils know how to keep themselves safe online.

• Teachers nurture children’s interests and provide a broad and enriching curriculum, including the offer of a range of exciting extra-curricular clubs and school events such as storytelling, gardening, football, cooking, nature detectives, sewing, film, drama, construction and debating clubs.

• Parents have confidence in the school and trust the school leadership. 100% of parents said that their child feels safe at school and 100% said they would recommend the school to another parent [parent questionnaire March 2020].

• Pupil behaviour is of a high standard throughout the school day [in both structured and unstructured times] because leaders and teachers provide high levels of pastoral support to pupils and families.

• A play therapist and nurture assistant work with pupils who have more specialist social and emotional needs.