Personal Development

Our intention is that all students who come to Roding Valley deserve to receive a broad range of equitable and purposeful opportunities that support them to have high aspirations, respect for all and endeavour to be the very best that they can be.

Alongside rigorous academic study, student lives are enriched by meaningful delivery of a robust, flexible and relevant personal development curriculum throughout their seven year journey. This curriculum intends to encourage positive individual physical and mental wellbeing and highlights the values of courtesy, truthfulness, courage, tolerance and kindness.

A broad, extensive and enriching curriculum which all staff / stakeholders develop and share to embed the ‘RV character curriculum’ vision. This is delivered through a number of session strands which include Relationships, Sex and Health Education, careers, Social, moral, spiritual and cultural Education, Mental and Physical Health and Wellbeing, assemblies and drop down events, it is also inclusive of the statutory elements. Our flexible approach allows for inclusion of current and future events, issues and aspects.

The impact of our Personal Development curriculum is evident in our school atmosphere and environment where those within actively participate and invest in our ethos. Through delivery of this curriculum we aspire to  develop social mobility, cultural capital and enrichment furthermore, to empower students through raised awareness in order to better understand themselves and those around them.

As a result of this implementation we would expect to observe increases in

• Attendance and Positive Behaviour for Learning
• Resilience and grit in our student community
• Attainment and progress

We want our students to build on and prepare desirable qualities and attributes and skills for future employability and good citizenship.

Under construction – will be updated soon

Under construction – will be updated shortly

We have our own Student Council made of up of elected representatives, as well as the Head Boy and Head Girl.  We also have a range of other student voice groups, including Year Council linked to school improvement areas and priorities. Students are taught in a variety of ways including: during Form time, assemblies and in subject specific content about the importance of democracy. We also have representatives on Epping Forest Youth Parliament.

The importance of Laws, whether they are those that govern the class, the school or the country, is consistently reinforced throughout all aspects of school life. Students and parents are taught the value and reasons behind our rules, that they govern and protect us; the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. We have talks from the Community Police Office team to students on the rule of law. We also provide an opportunity for students to take part in the ‘Prison – No way’ scheme, to visit the Houses of Parliament and students annually take part in the Parliamentary Debating Competition.

Students are actively encouraged to make their own choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. We educate and provide boundaries for students to make these choices safely, through provision of a safe environment and empowering education.  Students are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through E-Safety assemblies, form time and SMSC lessons. Whether it be through choice of learning challenge, of how they record work, of participation in our extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, students are given the freedom to make choices.

We place a great emphasis on promoting diversity and equality with the student and staff body. Our RE lessons, assemblies and form time teaching reinforces this. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes. We expect all members of our school to show tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.

Radicalisation is the process by which people come to support terrorism and extremism, and in some cases, participate in terrorist groups. Extremism is the vocal or active opposition to the fundamental British values – tolerance, respect, liberty and democracy.

The school believes and actively supports the view that all students should be protected from radicalisation and extremism. Our approach to this is in line with the Government’s CONTEST strategy (the counter terrorist strategy) and PREVENT (stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism).

Our total commitment to safeguarding student welfare means we are vigilant to monitoring vulnerability to radicalisation including:

• Family tensions
• Sense of isolation
• Migration
• Distance from cultural heritage
• Experience of racism or discrimination
• Feeling of failure

Any concerns must be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Officer, Miss Dyer who will make a referral using the “Channel” referral form. All teaching and support staff have received full training on Anti-Radicalisation and students have been educated in how to safeguard themselves from this.