Personal development
At Queensbridge we pride ourselves for our restorative aproach and consistent positive praise
We want all of our children at Queensbridge to feel happy and safe.
We have two important messages:
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Treat others as you’d like to be treated yourself
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Don’t say anything to anyone else that you wouldn’t like said to you
We pride ourselves that we know our children and families really well.
We have the following dedicated school team members:
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DH leading on PHSE
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SENCo Mental Well-Being Trained SEMH
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two strong Learning Mentors
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WAMHS clinician (Mental Health worker in school)
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Our Chair of Governors is a Mental Health First Aid Trainer
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Our Associate Governor: consultant to the Young Persons Counselling Service
The school’s commitment to this runs through all strands of school life.
In the curriculum there is an emphasis on PSHE – Personal, Social, Health Education – including circle times in class where children can talk about social and emotional issues at school.
Ofsted January 2024
The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development is exemplary. The programme for personal, social and health education is well planned. Pupils are taught about how to promote their well-being and look after their mental health in physical education lessons and yoga sessions.
At Queensbridge we believe that healthy, well rounded children have the best chance of achieving success at school and in the wider community. Children need to feel happy, safe and valued and that they are treated fairly.
We practice Restorative Justice and learn key skills to equip us in resolving conflict ‘using our words’. This approach involves listening to each other and reflecting on what the cause was and then moving forward, how it might be resolved.
The use of Restorative Practice by all staff ensures that children feel listened to and that they have a chance to give their side of things even when they are in the wrong. Children are encouraged to take responsibility and to be part of the fixing process in matters of their behaviour. When things are not going well we think it’s important that children are able to talk about it.
Pupil voice is an important aspect of life at Queensbridge. We have an active School Council where children learn to discuss issues and talk about ways to improve their school to help build character, have debates and share opinions. We offer Debate Mate, an after school activity promoting debating skills and giving the children the opportunity to take part in regular debates here and to compete against other schools.
Peer Mediators are trained in conflict resolution to help sort out problems at school. Prefects and Playground Buddies are roles that the children take very seriously and give the children valuable life skills. PMs could not happen due to crossing bubbles during the pandemic but 2021/22 is being started again.
Throughout school life we are always looking for opportunities to check that children are feeling positive and enjoying school. We offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities to give all children a chance to shine.
Our Pastoral Care Manager and our Learning Mentors are always on hand to work with groups or individuals who may need a bit of extra support at school.
A wide range of music, drama and performing arts shows, activities and workshops offer opportunities for self-expression in many different ways.
We at Queensbridge go above and beyond the expected, so that children have access to a wide, rich set of experiences. Opportunities for our children to develop their talents and interests are of an exceptional quality. Eg Animated Film Festival/ pottery/ musical offer/ nature trails. Clubs were on hold due to Covid and social distancing but we have had a strong take up this term of our extra-curricular activities. Eg pupil premium music- community choir and orchestra.
We provide these rich experiences in a coherently planned way, in the curriculum and through extra-curricular activities and they strengthen our school’s offer. We can’t wait to get back to the entire offer, social distancing permitting in September 2021.
Our carefully planned PHSE curriculum (here) covers the following areas age appropriately in every year group from EY to Y6:
Living in the World
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Belonging to a community
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Media literacy and digital resilience
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Money and Work
Health and Well-Being
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Physical health and mental wellbeing
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Growing and changing
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Keeping safe
Relationships
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Families and Friendships
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Safe Relationships
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Respecting ourselves and others
We carefully plan and deliver other areas for PD:
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SMSC (assemblies/ visits/ cultural activities). These enhance the spiritual development of our children which is shown by their ability to be reflective about their own beliefs (religious or otherwise) and perspective on life. Our children gain knowledge of, and respect for, different people's faiths, feelings and values.
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British Values (see statutory section here). We continue to use Vote in Schools with all classes
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Careers: ‘Into the Workplace’ (Work Week April 2021, with UBS) from N to Y6
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Healthy living (PE/PHSE, Science food curriculum, climate emergency, travel plan)
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Citizenship(what does it mean to be a good citizen?)
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Equality and diversity (Panorama 8 July 2019 BBC1 features our teaching of RSE)
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Preparation for next stage: transition, Nursery to Rec, Rec to Y1, Y6 to Y7 (state maintained as well as Special)
Ofsted January 2024
Some pupils train to become peer mediators, helping others to sort out disagreements. Special events help to promote the school’s inclusive culture. Pupils are taught about issues such as equality and diversity. They have many opportunities to debate and discuss important issues.
To summarise personal development at QBPS:
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There are a wide range of visits and trips to enhance children’s cultural capital for example regular visits to Houses of Parliament (which enhances understanding of British Values), finalists in debating at University of Cambridge with ‘Debatemate’, Royal Opera House behind the scenes workshops (Peace At Last in house early years opera, ice skating for SEND at Somerset House and long established links with the LSO performing on stage at the Barbican and in the Classical Road Show in Cadogan Hall. The chamber choir (64% pupil premium) have performed in several performances at the Royal Albert Hall in a migration project and for Black History (see SEND / EAL PPI case study). Covid halted this but we are back on track!
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We further developed SMSC through encouraging diversity and respect for LGBT including being part of the BBC Panorama programme for SRE in July 2019 and featured discussing LGBT with religion on Radio 4 Today in Oct 2019.
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There is a wide take up in clubs and extracurricular activities including for disadvantaged and pupils with SEND for example horse riding for pupils with SEND, Debate and Chamber choir have a wide range of take up of disadvantaged children at 85% and no child is limited by a lack of funds as the school will subsidise.
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58 disadvantaged children are currently learning musical instruments including guitar, violin, drums, cello and trumpet.
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There are exceptional opportunities for pupils to develop their own talents and interests for example in Stop Motion club, film making club and Blue Planet Club (targeting PPI/SEND- see case study)
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Children are well prepared for transitions for all stages of transition at this school including the early years. There are strong links with secondary schools, even more so because of Covid.
