A Venn Academy Trust School – Together we will… Venn is a pioneering academy trust, committed to building educational environments where all pupils are inspired to become lifelong learners who achieve the very highest standards possible. Collaborating with all partners, the Trust works with its unique settings to create world class learning experiences for all.

Personal Development Curriculum

Personal Development Curriculum

At Venn Boulevard Centre, we believe that education extends beyond academic achievement and encompasses the social, emotional, and physical wellbeing of our pupils. Our personal development curriculum is designed to nurture the whole child, fostering the attributes of confidence, resilience, and perseverance that are central to our school’s vision and values.

The Three-Tier Approach

Our personal development curriculum is structured in three tiers to ensure that every pupil receives the support they need to thrive.

Core Offer: All pupils at Venn Boulevard Centre receive our core personal development curriculum, which includes:

  • Weekly PSHE lessons
  • British Values and Rights Respecting sessions
  • Weekly enrichment opportunities
  • Personal Development profiling, where pupils are baselined on entry against eight key executive functioning skills, with termly targets set for progress
  • Explicit teaching of executive functioning skills in small groups of no more than ten, led by specialist teachers in a nurturing environment

The executive functioning skills we focus on are:

  • Impulse control
  • Emotional control
  • Flexible thinking
  • Working memory
  • Self-monitoring
  • Planning and prioritisation
  • Task initiation
  • Organisation

Enhanced Offer: Pupils identified as needing additional support for their social, emotional, and mental health needs receive our core offer, along with therapeutic interventions such as:

  • Equine therapy
  • Art therapy
  • Music therapy
  • Aromatherapy
  • Therapeutic Farm and Forest School sessions
  • ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) or Life Coaching sessions
  • Whole-class “Relax Kids” sessions with Phoenix Wellbeing
  • 1-to-1 online “Mind Jam” interventions
  • Barnardo’s WRAP (Wellbeing, Recovery, and Progression) sessions

Intensive Offer: Our most vulnerable pupils may attend our “Harbour” provision, which offers a bespoke timetable of therapeutic opportunities, including one-to-one counselling sessions with a qualified and registered counsellor.

Nurturing Resilience and Confidence

By providing a comprehensive personal development curriculum that addresses the diverse needs of our pupils, we aim to instil the attributes of confidence, resilience, and perseverance that are central to our school’s vision. We believe that empowering our pupils with these essential life skills will enable them to become independent, successful young people who are prepared to navigate the challenges of the future.

For more information about our personal development curriculum and the support available at Venn Boulevard Centre, please visit our website or contact us directly.

“Inspectors saw first-hand the way in which your staff spoke to pupils with compassion and respect.”

Ofsted

“Pupils are given chances to reflect upon this
through ‘life books’ where observations are made, and improvements praised.”

Ofsted

“Your school helps pupils to become
confident rounded young people.”

Ofsted

“The systems and structures that you have put in place ensure that pupils feel safe at school.”

Ofsted

“Pupils make strides socially and emotionally.”

Ofsted

“All pupils benefit from targets to help them to develop their social and emotional skills and to build a level of resilience.”

Ofsted

“Pupils told inspectors that they really value the way in which they feel respected at your school.”

Ofsted

“Once at school, the life coach works with
individuals to help them to deal with any anxieties that they may have.”

Ofsted

“Teachers and teaching assistants work hard to ensure that pupils are ‘nudged’ in the right direction in lessons.”

Ofsted

“Pupils value the way in which you and your
staff make everyone feel included.”

Ofsted

“Pupils welcome new arrivals with understanding and compassion.”

Ofsted

“In classrooms, pupils focus hard and respond well to any advice and guidance that is given to them.”

Ofsted

“Before coming to
school, you and other leaders work hard to understand the needs of individual
pupils.”

Ofsted

“An SEMH curriculum runs through the heart of your school.”

Ofsted

“The work of the
life coach can include one-to-one work in addition to positive thinking strategies,
mindfulness and aromatherapy.”

Ofsted

“Teaching at your school is characterised by positive relationships between members of staff and pupils.”

Ofsted

“A time of ‘reflection’ at the end of the
day allows pupils to consider how they have performed at school and helps them to focus on their attitudes and behaviours. ”

Ofsted

“Teachers consider
pupils’ emotional well-being deeply and give them space when they need to refocus.”

Ofsted

“The most striking aspect of your school is the way in which you plan to support pupils’ individual needs.”

Ofsted

“Within classrooms, teachers reward positive behaviours consistently.”

Ofsted

“A time of ‘reflection’ at the end of the
day allows pupils to consider how they have performed at school and helps them to focus on their attitudes and behaviours. ”

Ofsted

“Pupils talked to us about the way in which you
and your staff celebrate difference and help to make everyone feel valued.”

Ofsted

“You seek to identify any triggers which cause pupils to behave erratically and you work towards eliminating these.”

Ofsted

“Pupils at your school feel safe.”

Ofsted