Personal Development

Aims of personal development at Ramsgate Arts Primary School

At Ramsgate Arts Primary School, we strive for our pupils to develop into confident, well-rounded citizens who are ready to contribute both positively and greatly to the community and wider world. We see personal development as a primary aim for educators and know that a school’s contribution to a child’s life goes hand in hand with academic development.

With this in mind, we have developed ways to ensure our personal development provision offers every pupil high-quality opportunities (both discrete and interweaved) to enhance their education and, ultimately, their future.

How does Ramsgate Arts Primary School enhance pupils’ personal development?

Personal Development and The Arts

As an arts school, we truly value creativity and see first-hand how the arts can be used as a powerful gateway into developing young people in multifaceted ways.

For this reason, the arts provision we offer to our pupils is just one highly effective way to observe the quality of personal development our pupils receive.

Below are some of the main benefits the arts contribute towards our pupils' personal development:

Reflection and openness to feedback. Pupils are given constant feedback to master their art. This enables them to reflect, improve and refine.
Resilience strengthens. Pupils work hard towards their outcomes, facing setbacks with a positive mindset and determination to succeed.
Collaboration is bolstered. Pupils learn the true value of collaboration and cooperation. As their group projects unfold they enjoy collective success stemming from teamwork.
Confidence is built. Pupils’ confidence and self-efficacy rockets as they find themselves experiencing a sense of success and achievement.
Motivation and creativity flourishes. Pupils find themselves highly motivated by the arts. They find arts learning fascinating and enjoy using their imagination. This creativity flows outwards, spreading to their learning across other subjects too.

Personal Development Weeks

Each term, year groups spend an entire week focusing on personal development. Throughout personal development week, pupils move through cohesive lessons focussing on the following themes:

PSHE (including relationships and health education). Year groups follow a bespoke school programme of study for PSHE, including relationships and health education. This programme was developed by the school using support materials from the PSHE Association and the statutory guidance from the DFE, Relationships, education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education guidance.
Religious Education. Pupils learn about the major world religions. They develop an awareness of faiths and religious practices and beliefs. They learn to compare religions respectfully. They also develop an awareness of their own beliefs too. For more information about RE learning, see the Religious Education section of the website where you can also find our Religious Education policy.
Citizenship and Politics. Key stage one take part in citizenship lessons. They learn about how to be a good citizen and why this is important. Key stage two build on this learning by exploring how politics plays a role in governing Britain and other countries and how this affects members of society.
Debate and discussion. Developing pupils' speaking and listening skills is a key driver for education at RAPS. Each term during personal development week, pupils engage in speaking and listening sessions where they participate in topical discussions.
British Values. Each term, the school focuses on a different British Value. Pupils explore the value, learning about its meaning and significance within society. See more about how we use the British Values at RAPS by exploring the British Values tab.
Core Values. Our core values are: aspiration, enquiry, engagement, respect, challenge, collaboration, diversity and autonomy. Similarly to the British Value of the term, the whole school focuses on a different core value each term. Pupils explore the value, learning about its meaning and importance. Although we delve into the details of one core value each term, we continue to model and develop all of our values throughout the academic year.
Social and Emotional Literacy. During personal development week, pupils have a social and emotional literacy session focusing on a core element of social and emotional literacy, for example self-awareness.

To explore more about these themes, click on the tabs on the left hand side of this page.

To discover the content of taught to each year group during Personal Development Weeks, see the termly overviews below.

Personal development through extra-curricular activities

All key stage two pupils engage in extra curricula activities via the unique arts curriculum on offer at RAPS. In addition to this, we offer further opportunities for all pupils via optional clubs. Our after school clubs have varied in theme from girls' STEM club, to yoga, to French club. Our clubs vary each term and so the best way to keep up to date with clubs on offer is to contact the school office. Additionally to clubs, we offer pupils the opportunity to partake in music and singing lessons. Currently, we have guitar, drumming, keyboard, ukulele and ‘Rock Steady’ lessons on offer.

Personal Development and School Ethos

Ramsgate Arts Primary School does not only provide focus weeks for personal development. In addition to discretely developing core knowledge and skills relating to personal development, we pride ourselves on the ongoing and embedded school culture that embodies all facets of personal growth.

Whether it is through assemblies or special events, or simply the way our staff team model behaviours and attitudes, we provide our pupils with rich and genuine experiences to enable them to become the best versions of themselves.

What is the impact of Ramsgate Arts Primary School’s implementation of Personal Development?

Although the impact of personal development provision is difficult to formally measure, the provisions implemented at RAPS aim to enable our pupils the life-long skills and knowledge to:

Act as kind, socially intelligent and resilient members of the community, who contribute to society.
Show empathy, respect and value to everyone, maintaining successful relationships with others.
Develop both enjoyment and skill in their areas of interests, homing in to their talents.
Work successfully alongside others in a range of situations.
Develop the relevant knowledge and understanding of how society functions and why.
Display our core and the British values.
Articulate themselves with confidence, listening well to others and holding effective conversations.
Show awareness and vigilance to stay safe, both in the online and offline world.
Use social media responsibly and safely.
Know (and make use of) ways of keeping physically and mentally well.
Work with curiosity and creativity in all they do.
Take pride in their achievements and successes, but act reflectively by finding ways to improve themselves.
To challenge themselves in all they do, facing setbacks and hardship with bounce.
Aspire to be the best they can be and thrive in all they do.

If you have further enquires about personal development at Ramsgate Arts Primary School, please email: hanna.beech@ramsgateartsprimaryschool.co.uk or alternatively headofschool@ramsgateartsprimaryschool.co.uk