Personal Development and Citizenship (PDC)
Personal Development and Citizenship (PDC) provides students with a safe and supportive environment to discuss sensitive and challenging topics. Our curriculum aims to support students to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes to live happy, healthy and fulfilling lives in the future. Through discursive teaching, students are given opportunities to reflect on and clarify their own values and attitudes, while developing empathy and understanding of the views of others. Discrete lessons are supported by the tutorial programme and drop down days. Appropriate external speakers are used to supplement teaching by the PDC team. This helps enrich our students’ understanding of difference and diversity, and empowers them to become thoughtful, tolerant citizens, whose voices are valued.
The PDC curriculum is based around four core themes: health and wellbeing, relationships and sex education, living in the wider world, and citizenship. Proactive education in these areas empowers students to make positive, informed choices in their personal relationships, future careers, and in society. It functions as the preventative curriculum branch of our school safeguarding strategy, so that students are given time and space to explore and discuss the challenges and opportunities of an ever-changing modern Britain. They also know how to manage their own feelings and behaviours, support each other, and get help for themselves or their friends when they need it.
